By Any Other Name
by Deviant Nature
Summary: Kagome's return after an unexplained, prolonged absence leaves questions she can't answer. While she readapts to life in the present, Kurama is falling under the pressures of human expectations. But their solutions are closer than they think.
1. Vigilant Moonlight

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

Notes: Okay… I'm going to come right out and say that I have an odd dichotomy going as far as my need for manga and anime in purest form.  While I love the stories that pull off alternate pairings, universes, etc, I cringe at hearing dubs and seeing the butchery of translation that happens to almost every story that comes to the U.S.  The main inconsistency seems to be that the American versions _seriously_ tone down the language and violence to make it more acceptable for kids, so pay attention to the rating.  I don't intend to make such alterations.

Other things like colors and whatnot… (like Kurama having black hair in the manga and red in the anime) I'll bite my tongue and go with the anime.  

As for the rest of this… It's going to be total creative license on the fanfic author's part, baby, just for the enjoyment of the darling person who talked me into it.  (This means that OOC and plot-holes may be required as the bunnies command them)  Crossing over two series already makes it a bit A/R, so I'm just going to take a liberty here and there as I see fit.  So… my Christmas gift to a dear friend who has been snapping at my heels to write a story with Kurama. :coughKazusacough:  I'll give it my best.  *Salutes*  

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Vigilant Moonlight~

            Souta couldn't say what about tonight felt so much different than every other night for the past four years, only that there was something in the heavy air that was calling to him.  The house was silent, almost eerily so, like the world was holding it's breath as he made his way silently down the stairs and pulled his kimono closed with practiced, expert motions.  The more formal robes felt more comfortable, more appropriate for the feelings humming down his spine, and he couldn't help but frown as he tied the pale blue hakama in place, _Do you feel this where you are, nee-chan?  Are you awake and sensing such strange auras?_

            There was never any answer, not that Souta expected one from his long-missing sister, but it comforted him to "speak" with her in such a way, imagining that wherever she was, she was feeling the same things he was.  It had been the reason he'd finally started listening to his grandfather's stories more seriously, asking his mother to start training to take over the shrine someday.  As expected, his grandfather had been in tears, and even his mother had looked suspiciously shiny-eyed at the request he'd made, even more so when he told them that when Kagome returned, he could help her.  After all, if she was a great miko, shouldn't her little brother develop his holy powers as well?

            He knew they didn't have any faith in his ability to develop even a fraction of what his sister had under her control, but that wasn't the point.  If he closed his eyes when he was in training, meditating alone… he could imagine her beside him, her voice coaching him through every mistake, every frustration until he had felt something inside him shift and change.  He could still remember the day it happened, startling his old instructor with the way his aura swelled and practically overwhelmed him.

            Souta had never been more excited or proud when he heard the monks whispering that such an awakening had not been common since ancient times, and never with so little training.  He'd spent most of that night in the well house, sitting on the rim and whispering about his accomplishments in hopes Kagome would somehow hear and know he could help her when she returned from the past.  His mother had to practically drag him to bed, scolding him the whole way that the well would still be there in the morning and he could talk to his sister's spirit all he wanted…

            Souta shook his head violently, dispelling the old memories with effort and blinking in surprise as he realized his hand was resting on the shoji of the well house door, _That's strange…  I came all the way here without realizing it?  Is it something about the well?  Something coming through?_

            He bit his lip nervously, fingers curling around the worn wood and sliding it open slowly before he stepped inside and reached for the matches beside the entrance to light the ornate lamps.  He closed the door to prevent the soft glow from going farther than a few feet and possibly rousing the other inhabitants of the house, respectfully bringing his hand up in a prayer position for a moment before he walked down the familiar stairs to the empty well.

            Souta could feel his heart start to race, swallowing hard against the inexplicable feeling of premonition, that twinge setting his hair on end with the anxiety pouring through him, _Kagome?_

            A firm push against his calf had him almost jumping out of his skin, dragging an alarmed shout from his throat as he jerked around and found Buyo trying to twine between his legs only to give up and rub against the outside again when the hakama failed to part.  "Goddammit, Buyo!" Souta let out an exasperated shout, turning his back on the well and bending down to scoop up the rather obese animal with a scowl.  "Animals are supposed to be sensitive to auras and feelings, how in the hell can you so casually break my focus like that?"

            A loud meow was his answer, and Souta felt his shoulders slump with defeat as he muttered a few choice words under his breath and set the cat back down, only to freeze when he heard a soft chuckle break the silence behind him.

            Impossibly, a gust of cold wind seemed to wrap around him for a moment, tugging at his robes as it curled and made it's way behind him, back to the well and producing a hollow, sucking type noise very quietly with the pulse of an oddly empty aura at the back of his senses, _But the shoji is closed…_

            "I suppose some things never change," that quiet voice snapped his head up, eyes wide and pupils contracting as he scarcely dared to breathe, fearful of finding this another illusion, a meditative dream.  "You should know better than to come to the well at night unless you've somehow managed to stop being such a 'fraidy-cat."

            Souta turned back around ever-so-slowly, throat closing as he found deep blue eyes laughing at him out of a painfully familiar and long missed face, older now and much more serene than it had once been, but completely unmistakable, "Ka-Kagome-nee-chan…"

            Kagome tilted her head to one side, lips curling in a smile as the thick curtain of glossy black hair shifted in that unnatural breeze, prompting her to lift a hand and brush it back impatiently before she reached out and thunked him on the forehead, "Hell, Souta, you look like you've seen a ghost."

            If he hadn't been watching her so closely, he would have missed the look of uncertainty that skated across her luminous eyes for a moment, testifying to the almost awkward fear that she was going to be rejected.  Kagome, his time-traveling miko sister, was afraid of his reaction to her reappearance.  

            This was no hallucination.

Souta felt the tears rise, tried to blink away the way that warmly smiling figure blurred under the sudden onslaught, but finally gave up with a wail that would have set birds to wing had it been any earlier.  He had flung himself forward the moment the sound left his throat, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and burying his face in her lap.  _It's really her…  All this time…  _

            Kagome felt a pang of remorse go through her, letting out a low sigh as her own arms wound around her brother's shoulders and pulled him up for a more proper embrace.  For a long time they sat together like that, not speaking as they let the reality of the homecoming filter into their stubborn heads and erase the rest of their intangible fears.  Finally she smiled, whispering soothingly in his ear to try and calm him from the sobs that shook his entire frame, "It's all right, Souta, I'm all right.  I'm going to stay this time.  Really stay."

            "They thought you died, Kagome!" he choked out against her neck, arms tightening enough to make her grunt in mild surprise at just how much her brother had grown in her absence.  "They tried not to let me hear them talking, but I did… but I never believed it!  I knew you would come home.  I've waited…  Did you hear me?  I would come here; I talked to you everyday so you wouldn't be lonely.  Did you ever think of me here?"

            "I always thought about you, moron," she leaned back and ruffled his hair, eyes searching over his face to take in every feature and laughing helplessly at the way his words started to run together with his growing enthusiasm.  "My bratty little brother…  When did you get so damn big and handsome, hn?"

            Souta let out a rather watery sounding laugh, straightening with what could really only be called masculine pride to let his idolized sister admire him, "I wasn't going to be some little punk when you came home.  You told me all those stories about Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku…  I wanted you to be proud."

            Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, trying to hold back the wave of emotion that swept through her with that simple statement and letting out a shaky breath as she reached up to touch his cheek, "Souta."

            "I've been training!" he shot to his feet, suddenly all energy as he gestured to himself rapidly with his hands, letting the depression melt away.  "After you were telling me about Miroku and all the things he could do as a monk, I asked Okaa-san and Jii-chan to help me find a temple and start training.  You're a miko, so why couldn't I have some skills too?  It's not like I could just up and be a hanyou, and no one's around to teach me to be a taijiya, so… "

            She lifted a hand to her mouth, eyes practically sparkling at seeing the personality she remembered had lived on undistorted by maturity, "Really now?  Jii-chan must have cried."  _At least Miroku would have cried to know he was the third choice in whose footsteps to follow._

            "Constantly," Souta's grin was so wide she thought it might actually split his face if he wasn't careful.  "They're so proud!  And the monks that were training me… I had to stop going to that temple because they said they didn't have the capabilities to handle what was in my soul."

            Kagome laughed at the way his chest puffed up, preening at having such distinction and obligingly doing some heartfelt praising of her own, "I'm very impressed."

            "Probably nothing like yours, but still-!" he continued, gesticulating randomly as he continued to rattle on so rapidly that Kagome had to stand up and remind him to pause and breathe.  That only lasted long enough for him to comply before he started right back in again, but with his focus redirected at her, "What happened?  Why were you gone for so long?  Did you beat Naraku?  What happened to everyone in Sengoku Jidai?  Where's Inu-nii-san?  Were you hurt?  Where's the Shikon-no-Tama?  What did you wish for?  Did you shrink?"

            That last one earned him a half-hearted smack upside the head, "I'm a girl, Souta, I wasn't going to be taller than you forever unless you ended up being very unlucky."

            "Oh right," he rubbed at his head, smiling ruefully but with no less excitement.

            "You're the one who got big," Kagome's smile softened with a wistful edge, brushing that sleep-tousled hair out of his face and just breathing in the feel of her little brother so close.  "And we won… but… there were things I had to do before I could come back."

            "The jewel?" Souta's brows rose.

            To his surprise, she shook her head no, "I… well, that's a long story, but it wasn't the jewel on its own that made me stay.  It was something much more important."

            "Then what-?" he turned his head to one side, following her gaze in confusion when she turned a melancholy, but almost regal smile back on the well.  _More important?  But… the jewel was what she kept returning for.  The reason she decided to stay in the past once she finished school.  What could be more important?_

            "I made a promise," Kagome murmured softly, almost too softly for Souta to hear, and making him frown as he saw her hand curl into a fist against her stomach, the other reaching out to trace the edge of the well with a slow precision that spoke volumes.  "A promise to a very, _very_ dear friend."

            Souta was quiet a moment, regarding the distant look in her eyes curiously, but respecting her lapse into silence to try and puzzle out what had put that old knowledge in his sister's eyes without disturbing her, _It was something serious that happened to her since she went away.  She looks… she really does look like a great miko._

"But I'm back now, Souta," Kagome's determined exclamation broke him out of his thoughts, bringing his eyes up to the smile on her face just as she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his chest.  "The jewel brought me back…  We couldn't use it until everything was ready.  Just in case."

            "Will you tell me about it?" Souta rested his chin on top of her head, well aware he probably had the most ridiculous smile on his face and not giving half a damn.  "If you can't right now, it's okay, but… at least some time?  Please?"

            She laughed and nodded, snuggling her face against him and pushing back the rush of warmth reaching out for the power she could sense inside her little brother, "I'll tell you… but Okaa-san and Jii-chan are coming.  I don't-  I can't tell them this yet.  I don't know how they'll take it."

            Souta was instantly nodding in agreement, his heart swelling with excitement at being in close confidence, "I can keep a secret, I promise."

            Before they could say more, the shoji was yanked open hard enough to snap resoundingly against the wood as their grandfather managed to get one step inside, lips forming the beginning of Souta's name.  The moment his gaze landed on the young woman practically burrowed down against his grandson's chest, he faltered, the words dying in his throat in favor of a strangled gasp.  He didn't have the strength or the inclination to stop himself from going to his knees when his daughter ran into his back, clasping her robe closed over her night clothes and calling Souta's name in a voice heavy with fear until she too was rendered speechless in shock.

            "O-oh… my gods," she whispered shakily, reaching out to grip her father's shoulder to support herself when her children leaned apart, Souta grinning like he'd just hung the moon and- "Kagome?"

            "Tadaima… Mama."

~*~*~*~

            "If this is some sort of twisted joke that Youko half of your head cooked up, you can tell him I don't appreciate his humor," Hiei didn't bother to open his eyes or unfold his arms from behind his head as he lounged on the railing of Kurama's balcony, senses open to any signs of disturbance in the almost stagnant summer air.

            "Youko happens to think it's pointless for me to even consider listening to her wishes," Kurama shook his head, eyes turned up to the full moon with a touch of irritation adding to the vibrant, emerald green.  "He says it's a human concern, and I'd be a fool to make myself vulnerable like that."

            He made a faint sound of deprecating amusement, "Fox doesn't want to pass on those nimble little fingers?"

            '_He liked those nimble fingers well enough in the past,_' Youko muttered in the back of Kurama's mind, taking offense to the little demon having fun at his expense.  '_Besides, what the hell would we do with a baby?  We still owe service to Rekai, and last I recall, human females don't particularly like it when the male that impregnates them is always gone.  There'd be questions we can't answer, and all because your mother wants grandchildren?  You don't even have the time to find us a fuck buddy!'_

            Kurama could feel his eyebrow twitching, biting back a less than polite remark when he heard Hiei tried to hold back a snicker, "Do you mind?"

            "Actually, I do," he finally opened his eyes, slanting a smug look at his friend.  "I've been bored as fuck lately with how quiet everything's been.  So if that means I need to amuse myself by listening to Youko lament your sexual prowess, then I don't feel a pressing need to give you privacy."

            "Why don't you go bother Yusuke or Kurabara?" Kurama braced his weight on one arm and leaned up to frown at him.  "I'm certain you could find something entertaining about their interactions."

            "They're human," he shrugged as though that made all the sense in the world.

            "You're such a little youkai snob," he rolled his eyes and stared back out over the quiet night.  "One of these days I'm going to tell them how much you talk when humans aren't around."

            "Go ahead, they won't believe you," Hiei smirked, his tone full of confidence.  "Humans are stupid that way…  Now as much as I hate to agree with him, the fox is right.  There's no chance for you to live a normal human life, especially not with the way the two of you are blurring together.  You don't have a distinct separation anymore, and I bet in a few more years you won't even have that obnoxious schizophrenic thing going for you."

            '_He's right about that,_' Youko offered a mental shrug.  '_We're blending more and more… sometimes I'm speaking and don't realize it's coming from both of us until something calls our attention to it.'_

            "I'm aware of that," Kurama rubbed at his head, exasperated that both Hiei and Youko seemed to think he wasn't aware of his own body or behavior.  "Youko and I _both_ know we're the same person… just on opposite ends of the spectrum.  We have to mingle back together some time."

            "So how would you explain that to a human wife?" Hiei pointed out.  "Even without working for Rekai, you have to find a girl who won't scream when she wakes up and her husband has gone blond."

            '_Silver,'_ Youko growled.

            "Same thing," Hiei's eyes narrowed slightly as he taunted the kitsune.

            '_That little-!  Ooh!  Hit him, Kurama,_' Youko hissed out impatiently.  '_Silver is _not_ so common and simple as "blond" and he knows it!'_

            "Shut up," Kurama closed his eyes.  "Both of you.  You're not helping my headache and I still have to figure out what to do about this."

            '_You could always tell her that you prefer the company of men,'_ Youko pointed out a little too innocently.  '_Hiei could pretend to be our boyfriend and-'_

"Don't bring me into this," Hiei cut him off before he could really get going on that particular idea.  "I refuse to pretend to have romantic attachments just to save you from your human expectations.  If you're going to tell her that you'd rather be with a man, find a man to be with."

            Kurama just barely stopped himself from banging his head on the railing, taking a deep breath and speaking as calmly as possible, "I have yet to find a man that I'd like to have a long term relationship with, and frankly I'd prefer a girlfriend, but apparently kitsunes don't really differentiate gender in their desire."

            '_That's unfair discrimination,_' Youko expounded on the topic happily, glad to finally have his other half talking about his inhibitions and why they were so ridiculous.  '_If the individual is beautiful and desirable, what difference does it make if they're a girl or a boy?'_

            "Procreation for one," Hiei inserted dryly.

            "_Stop it!_" Kurama snapped out in a rare show of temper, smacking his hands down on the railing.  "_We_ prefer women, stop being difficult, Youko, or I'll see to it that the next thing you want to do never happens!"

            '_You can be so touchy,'_ Youko pouted.  '_Who would have thought I had such a prudish side?'_

_            YOUKO!_ Kurama warned.

            '_All right, all right,' _Youko acquiesced reluctantly.  '_Maybe I was worried that you'd decided to swing that way with as few partners as we've had given your age.  You have to admit that we're overdue for a partner.'_

            "We've been busy," Kurama defended.

            '_Not that busy.'_

            "It _has_ been quiet, Kurama," Hiei's expression stayed perfectly bored as he added to his friend's little torment.  "Maybe you should make your mother happy and take the edge off Youko's frustration… find yourself a girlfriend."

            '_Your frustration too,'_ Youko reminded him.  '_Everything will look better once we've had a nice, relaxing fuck.'_

            "Should I leave you two alone?" a smile tugged at the corner of Hiei's mouth.

            "If I say yes, will you go?" Kurama muttered out, folding his arms and taking a step back until he could rest his chin on them and still keep his back straight.

            "No."

            "Didn't think so."

            '_Maybe if we-?' _Youko started.

            "No," Kurama definitely felt an eyebrow twitch that time.

            '_You didn't even listen to what I was going to suggest!'_

"I can imagine," he let out a heavy sigh, burying his face in his arms.  "This means a lot Okaa-san, but… I don't know how to pull this off.  How do I find a girl who'd be willing to put up with all the Rekai nonsense when I can't tell her anything about what's going on?"

            '_And we still have to like her.'_

"And that," he shook his head.

            "Relax, Kurama," Hiei cut in, a hint of disgust coloring his voice.  "You realize that you're getting carried away, don't you?  Human girls are always falling over themselves to have a chance with you, you just have to convince one of them to have a child for you.  It shouldn't be that difficult."

            "I grew up around them, Hiei, I know a little more about what goes through their heads than you do," Kurama shook his head, glancing back at the shorter demon.  "If I want a baby, they want a commitment that I can't give them.  That's a mess waiting to happen that I refuse to put my mother or myself through."

            "Hn," Hiei shrugged, leaning back more comfortably and turning his own gaze up to the sky.  "Then what do you intend to do?"

            Kurama was silent for a long time before he finally sighed, "I don't know."

            '_You're serious about this?'_ Youko sounded more than surprised at that.

            _I wouldn't be so stressed out if I wasn't serious, Youko,_ he frowned, closing his eyes and trying to take some measure of comfort from the light breeze that picked up.  _She's our mother, and this means a great deal to her.  Besides, aren't you old enough that it's time for us to think about kids and a wife? Or at least a serious girlfriend?_

_            'That's boring,' _Youko snorted.  '_Why would I want to participate in something that detracts from my fun?  There's too much responsibility for me in starting a family, and it's too complicated being like this to find a pretty girl we like who we would trust to have a kit for us.'_

            _You're making yourself sound lazy, _Kurama pointed out dryly.

            '_I have high standards,' _Youko gave every impression of turning up his nose primly.  '_Especially if you expect us to actually breed with her.  We have to be even more selective with whomever we select for the other half of our offspring.'_

_            Youko, I know you like kids more than you pretend you do,_ Kurama accused him in exasperation.  

            '_Maybe if it was mine and I could teach it what I wanted,' _he replied thoughtfully.  '_But I don't know, I've never really been around them.  Isn't it supposed to be some weird bonding thing when you make it yourself?'_

Kurama slanted a curious look over at Hiei, arching an eyebrow and making a slight sound of contemplation.

            "I am a bad example," Hiei informed him in a bland tone.  "Even if the mother rejected a child with your blood, you would still take it to raise.  You can't make a comparison."

            "True," he sighed again, shifting his weight again on the railing.  "And my mother would be more than happy to take care of her grandchild when I was away on… 'business.'"

            "Hn… " Hiei opened his eyes again, staring at Kurama for a long moment before he sighed and looked up at the sky again.  "I suppose there's not going to be a way that I can talk you out of such an asinine pursuit."

            '_He's just jealous because our offspring would be more attractive than his,_' Youko scoffed.  '_If it would mean so much to her, I suppose it's the least we can do…  And you're the one with more control of our body so far.'_

"Right," Kurama rolled his eyes.  "I know it's a human thing, but I've made up my mind.  She's never asked us for anything, never asked questions… she's always been there for us, Youko.  She wants to know that we're going to have a family and be happy."

            Hiei could feel himself starting to smirk again, cocking his head to one side, "So when are you going to start looking for a suitable human girl?  We've been in and out of Ningenkai so often that you've lost touch with even your former classmates."

            Kurama set his jaw, hands curling into a fist against the railing as he pushed himself back up to stand, "The sooner I find one, the sooner this will be over.  I'll get started as soon as possible…"


	2. Welcome Distractions

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

By Any Other Name

Welcome Distractions

Kagome walked along beside her younger brother quietly, listening attentively as he continued to regale her with story after story of what had happened to him and all the things he'd done since she'd been away. On the one hand, it was easy to listen to him speaking, nodding her head and laughing whenever she found something to be humorous about the particular incident he was describing. But… on the other hand, she felt… restless. Out of place amongst the regular people walking all around them, enjoying their weekend or rushing to school; all going on about their lives with no worry of mythical or supernatural creatures bearing down on them to threaten their lives, or ravage the country side.

The cars and random sounds were almost painful to her ears, unfamiliar and nearly forgotten after so long away from such things; even the smell and feel of the air curling around her in a strangely oily film, giving her a glimpse of how irritating the future must have truly been for her much more sensitive hanyou friend. And just how irritating she was finding it from time to time.

She stayed close to Souta's side, keeping her expression relatively calm despite her inner turmoil, and automatically scanning her surroundings with the alert care only known to those who'd been hunted by the most powerful of creatures. Her lips curved upwards in a bit of sardonic amusement when she caught herself ridiculing the people around her who walked with such heavy, loud steps, thinking that anyone would be able to hear them coming a mile away… until she remembered that it really didn't matter in this time. Silence was no longer so necessary in a person's movements.

_Knock it off, Kagome,_ she scolded herself, frowning as she continued to assess and dismiss the people that passed by them. _You're going to have to readjust to the future… you obviously weren't supposed to stay in Sengoku Jidai if wishing got you sent back here. You can't look at everything the same way you had to do to survive before, you'll start sounding as bad as Sesshoumaru-sama, and then you'll just have to strangle yourself._

Thoughts of the frigidly elegant taiyoukai had her sighing softly in a moment of melancholy reflection, longing for a moment that she could have the peace of the undeveloped past and everything she'd left behind. Still… her eyes slid over to where Souta was keeping pace with her, his eyes bright and lively while he had yet to stop grinning or chattering in a way that put her in mind of a certain precocious little kitsune she dearly missed.

_I couldn't leave my family here again, especially Souta,_ he stopped at the curb, glancing down the street to make certain he had a moment for the lights to turn before he would have to be ready. _Not after Okaa-san told me everything. He was so worried about me…_

Souta had pulled out his list, frowning slightly at the lines drawn through four of the potential temples already before he double-checked the address of their next stop, "You really weren't impressed by that last guy, were you?"

Kagome made a faint sound of disgusted agreement, reaching over to grab Souta's ear and yank it, "Never trust a man who tells you that he can teach you everything. Besides, his aura was practically nonexistent. He may have had the potential, or the power when he was young, but he long since burned it out."

Souta was quiet for a second, not moving even when the light changed as he stared at his older sister, "You really grew up… I still remember, the last time you left, you were never so serious about magic, especially your own abilities."

"Things change," she caught his hand, tugging him into a walk before they missed the traffic cycle. "And it was either get serious, or get killed. I wasn't about to let anyone else die after everything we'd been through already."

"I wish I could have seen it," Souta sighed regretfully, falling into step with her again.

Kagome bit down hard on her tongue, hands clenching when she felt the faint thrum go through her soul at the innocent words and just barely stopping herself before she snapped at him to never say such things again. When he turned a concerned look to her, she took a breath to calm herself and shook her head, "No, Souta, you don't, and I wouldn't wish in a million years for you to be involved in matters like what I fought."

_She still hates to say his name,_ Souta let out a sigh, reaching out to take her hand again when they reached the opposite curb and pulling her off the way they were supposed to go. "Your aura went crazy for a second… I lost it completely," he said instead, offering her an "out" to a new topic rather than dragging her into even more painful memories.

Kagome blinked, but then laughed softly, ruffling his hair to show that she knew exactly what he was doing, "Yeah, I'm broken that way. Most people throw it off, but since I purified the jewel, it's backwards. Miroku told me once that it was like I was sucking my own soul into an empty place, but not. The more it feels like it's going away, the stronger it's getting. And no, I don't know how or why it does that."

"Can you teach me to do that?" Souta exclaimed suddenly, eyes wide and pleading as he darted around in front of her to make her stop and answer him.

She burst out laughing at that, shoving her hand against his shoulder to twist him around and getting him going, "Do you even know what I just said?"

"Not really, but it sounds awesome!" he clapped his hands together in front of his heart and grinned again. "C'mon, Nee-san, you have to teach me. I'll be the best student, cross my heart!"

Kagome rolled her eyes, leaning a little closer to murmur the only reason she and Miroku had managed to settle on to him quietly, "Souta… I think the only reason I do it is because of the jewel. I don't know how or even really why my soul retracts as soon as I'm threatened or excited. It may just be that the jewel doesn't want to be caught again, and it doesn't want any creatures feeling the kind of energy inside me. They'd be curious."

"You're talking like it thinks for itself," Souta wrinkled his nose.

_It does now,_ Kagome wanted so badly to say, but held her silence rather than start her brother asking more questions that she didn't want to answer, even if she knew how to answer what she was certain he would voice. "The Shikon no Tama is something I don't think anyone will ever understand," she said instead and reached out to clasp his hand. _Not unless… something happened._

"I'll take your word for it," he assured her, sensing the unease in her touch. She still shied away from most of the family's questions about what exactly happened in the time with no word or communications, and Souta had already been given "suggestions" from their mother and grandfather to use their time away on getting her to readjust and open up again. _Okaa-san thinks that I can do it. I _have_ to… I can be the strong one this time, can't I? Isn't that what I wanted to do this for? Train for? I wanted to be able to help Kagome when she returned._

They continued to walk, Souta lost in his own determined thoughts and Kagome ever alert to the life sources around her in ways her younger sibling could only hope to fathom in a lifetime. So far the only youki she'd felt had been whispers, as though the signatures had been wiped clean and left only echoes behind. That didn't stop her from looking though, searching for anything that would give her a connection to the life she'd adapted to in the past and ground her in this time as well. She still needed them to-

"We still have three more temples in this district to check, Kagome," Souta finally offered, making a show of holding up the hand-written page with names and addresses for what Jii-chan's inquiries had given them. "We're closest to this one here," he pointed to the second-to-last entry.

Kagome blinked as her attention narrowed back down to the one harmless object, glancing at Souta's face and finally giving him a warm, loving smile when she clearly saw the look of worry in his eyes, "Let's get moving then. I'd hate to miss the movers and end up having to carry all your boy-shit down the shrine stairs with just your wimpy arms to help me."

Souta's eyes lit with delight even as he took up a more classic stance and managed a perfectly offended tone, "Wimpy? I'll show you wimpy when we find a temple, Nee-san! Just you wait and see how hard I've been practicing!"

Her laughter rang out over the raucous sounds of traffic, making Souta's chest puff out with pride when she clapped him hard on the back, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and nodding, "Hai, hai! We'll see how well you've been practicing."

"You won't be disappointed, Nee-san, I promise," his voice took on a serious edge that had her brows lifting in surprise before she smiled again.

"Souta…" she reached up and jerked on his unruly hair, making him swat at her hand in pure sibling fashion. "I would be proud if you were in remedial classes and mispronounced every other word you tried to speak. Really."

"Then you'll be really proud," he nodded decisively, checking the list again before he stepped slightly ahead of her and started to check landmarks and addresses.

Kagome started to follow when she felt a faint thrum of sensation at the base of her skull, coming to a complete halt and scarcely daring to breathe as her eyes went wide and the sounds of the world fell away. _Youki?_ she lifted a hand, clenching her fingers in her shirt over her heart as she took a deep breath and tried to focus on the source. _Is it true? Did some youkai stay in the human world? Did they live all this time?!_

"Nee-san!" Souta's shout, and the hand coming down on her shoulder shattered her concentration, jerking her head up to stare at her brother in confusion before he turned and pointed behind him. "I said I found it. Are you okay? You looked like your mind was a million miles away just then…"

_Gone… dammit,_ Kagome frowned briefly before she shook her head and held up her hands innocently, "Nothing serious, Souta… I was just thinking is all, I promise. Memories, you know." _It was there; I know it was!_

Souta nodded, but he gave her a look that told her he wasn't about to let her give him empty excuses and fake smiles when they were alone, "C'mon then… this one's not really well known, and Jii-chan said that he only heard of it through a friend of his at his retreat last year."

Kagome followed her brother up the steps, her own stride slowing when the stone under her feet seemed to warm, radiating outward like ripples before returning to her with an ancient hum of energy, _This temple… _

"Hurry up, Nee-san!" Souta called back to her, unable to explain it, but feeling an odd sort of restlessness the closer he came to the old-style shoji at the top of the stairs. His senses were humming, telling him that there was old power here, _real_ power and not just the imitations that he'd seen so many of in his attempts to find a teacher. Kagome had to like this one…

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she called back up to him, making a shooing motion with her hand. "Mou, there's more to feeling out a temple's authenticity than meeting the head priest or monks," she clucked her tongue in disapproval, moving closer to the edge of the stair to brush her fingers against the stone and feel it out more directly. "Aren't you supposed to be learning how to be patient? Zen?"

Souta stuck his tongue out at her, "I'll be 'zen' when I'm damn good and ready." _Right now you need a brother, not a monk. _"Now get moving or I'll start thinking you're gotten lazy in your old age. These steps are nothing compared to home!"

"You wait till I get my hands on you," Kagome promised him, unable to keep her lips from spreading in a smile even as her eyes narrowed in a way that had Souta laughing and bounding up the stairs two at a time.

"Laaazy!" he called out tauntingly, pausing at the top to move his hands in a respectful prayer and bow before he opened the shoji and disappeared inside for her to follow.

Kagome just shook her head, following at a more sedate pace while a faint breeze picked up, just enough to pick up her hair and toss it across her face. She came to a stop again, one hand resting on the edge of the shoji while she pushed it back behind her ear and inhaled the pure flavor to that simple breeze, only to frown when she caught the echoes of youki again.

She twisted around to try and follow it back to the source this time, eyes flashing pink for a split second before settling back to deep blue as she watched a young man go speeding past her on a pair of roller blades. There was a breath, a heartbeat where time seemed to freeze, bringing the man into stark detail, but still… vague. She had the impression of colors, red and blond hair styled like a model or a rock star, and clothes obviously expensive, designer, and selected to outline his carefully kept body. A face too pretty for a human, and a perfect smile with slightly sharper canines than a human ought to have.

Then the moment passed, leaving her staring after the vanishing figure with a frown of confusion. The sounds of the modern world again sifted away, only that breeze and the lingering echo that seemed to distort and bounce around even in the wake of that strange person.

"Youkai…"

Kurama couldn't help but wince when the walk back from their latest assignment brought them past a display of bridal and baby magazines, even worse when their female companions (one in particular) couldn't resist drawing their attention to it, or stopping them for a closer look. Fortunately for him, the only one who noticed _his_ discomfort was his short, outwardly stoic friend…_Un_fortunately, Hiei happened to feel quite safe to torment Kurama about his reaction, so long as none of the "humans" could hear him do it.

_That human mother of yours must be starting to worry,_ Hiei's "comment" had an edge of absolutely wicked amusement that earned him a quick, unobtrusive glare from the more even-tempered man. _Her precious baby is getting older with no girlfriend in sight. That means no grandbabies, doesn't it?_

_When did you become so interested in human practices, Hiei?_ Kurama clenched his jaw, focusing on keeping his expression calm and composed through the uncharacteristic urge to throttle the short demon. Hiei was too good and hitting too close to the source of Kurama's current problems, and from that obnoxious little smirk on his face, he knew it and was reveling in every minute of it.

_Since they became such a wonderful source of entertainment for me,_ he responded matter-of-factly. _I had never thought the 'great Youko Kurama' would have a common fear with Yuusuke, but I was…obviously mistaken._

That little punk was definitely reveling in it, he turned his gaze out to the occasional street traffic at that sour thought, not wanting the others to possibly glimpse the unease in his expression, _There__ really are more problems than I originally prepared for. _

Hiei simply waited, knowing better than to rush when his youkai companion was still attempting to sort out the puzzle in his own mind. Better to let him dig the hole deeper on his own before he started piling it on thicker.

_My mother believes that if I wait much longer, I'll be "too old" to make a good match, _Kurama's lips twisted in distaste at the very thought. _She doesn't say it to me, but I can see it in her eyes when I visit her._

_Indeed,_ if possible, the amusement only deepened. _You'll be all of what? Thirty human years old next month? Teetering on the very edge of your young and virile days._

_If we weren't in public, Hiei, I would kill you, _Kurama closed his eyes, feeling his eyebrow start to twitch when Youko was instantly furious and hissing in his their head that he'd show the cheeky little bastard teetering on his young and virile days despite the calmer side of his psyche's attempts to reach a less volatile solution.

_But we _are_ quite in public, and you're forever attempting to maintain a certain reputation, _Hiei's expression never changed, but Kurama could hear the smug snickering in his head clear as a bell. _Come now, can't the legendary bandit come up with a solution to this puzzle as well? You believe yourself to be so incomparably beautiful and charming, yet you can't manage to find a single human girl willing to give you a baby and appease your mother?_

Kurama blew out a slow, heavy sigh under the cover of passing cars, aware that human ears would not be able to differentiate the sound while he counted each that passed until his new desire to all out deck the hybrid had faded. A quick glance back at the others assured him they were still being effectively distracted by glossy images of pink cheeked infants and bright advertisements as he leaned back against a light pole, _Humans expect commitment with offspring, you idiot. What the hell would I say? "I'm really a kitsune overtaking my human body a little at a time, but my human mother doesn't know that or believe it and wants her 'son' to marry and settle down. Have kids… By the way, I'll be gone a lot and you won't be able to get in touch with me or ask any questions about what I'll be doing while I'm away. There's a possibility I'll get killed, but don't worry, I'll always remember to bring you flowers when I'm still alive and at home."_

Hiei blinked, cocking his head ever so slightly to one side as he pondered that slightly bitter tirade before shrugging, _Why not?_

Kurama actually smacked a hand over his eyes at that, just barely restraining the urge to groan by biting down on his lip and throwing a scowl in response to his bland expression, _Humans aren't like that, Hiei._

_Find one who is,_ he retorted with a hint of disgust, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world. It was fun to tease Kurama about his romantic troubles, but if the kitsune was going to let it affect him so negatively, he needed to get a shove in the right direction, _Billions of them in this realm and you don't think you can find even one bizarre enough and taken enough by your pretty face to say yes? Hell, find a stupid one._

Kurama was just about to give him an answer to that in four letters or less when an almost melodic voice cut through their distraction with a shouted "Heads up!" The warning was just enough to alert the group to duck down and avoid getting their heads knocked off by a pair of roller blades when their owner took a direct way of getting through the pedestrians.

"What the fuck-?" Yuusuke had just started when a frantic looking businessman shoved through the people in his path with absolutely no regard for their balance or surroundings, his eyes trained on the skater alone.

"Get _back_ here, you lousy, conniving little shit!" he raged, panting and waving his fists in what was obviously supposed to be a threatening manner, but was definitely not getting the desired results.

The skater turned around backwards expertly, weaving in and out of the people who didn't move aside as though he had eyes in the back of his head as well while he held up what looked like a pretty serious camera on a leather strap. His other hand was currently in use to put a fingertip at the corner of his own eye while he stuck out his tongue before taunting, "No fucking way, Jiji! This stuff is absolutely gold!"

"A photographer?" Kurama's voice lifted in confused surprise, brows snapping down as his curiosity immediately and gratefully turned to the boy with his –most likely- artificially red and blond hair, tousled hair. _But why would a photographer be dressed so strangely?_ he found himself wondering as the onlookers all turned to watch the scene unfold.

"Damn you, Takashima! Come back!" the older man was still ranting, keeping up remarkably well all things considered. "If he sees those, I'm ruined!"

"That's my job!" the identified 'Takashima' chirped back in a rather maliciously cheerful tone of voice, purposefully slowing down and dangling the camera tauntingly just out of the man's desperate reach. "What kind of investigator would I be if I played favorites, hn? I have to remain impartial."

'_Investigator?'_Youko perked up from inside their soul, turning away from his previous revenge plots against Hiei to this new interesting little tidbit. '_Oooh__, follow that little punk, this sounds fun!'_

_We can't follow him, we'll attract too much of the wrong attention, _Kurama reminded him despite his own wishes to do just that. _Damn kitsune instincts…_

'_Our instincts are just fine,' _Youko informed him in a particularly superior tone.

"Big dog said jump and this would be me jumping," Takashima abruptly snapped the camera back to the safety of his hands, giving his pursuer a mocking bow and bending his knees and twisted around to face forward again. He straightened his legs to propel himself down the sidewalk and was quite suddenly… gone.

The old man stumbled to a halt, gasping loudly in the sudden near-silence that gripped the street corner where he gripped the nearest stable support and stared after the distant skating figure with a look of absolute horror, "O-oh gods… I-I-!"

_Damn, that brat was fast, _Hiei's remark drew Kurama's gaze long enough to catch the spark of interest in the demon's scarlet eyes even as he found his own feet carrying him to the obviously exhausted man's side.

"Excuse me?" Kurama reached out, hesitantly brushing his hand on the man's arm and almost jerking back in alarm when he felt the youki concealed beneath. _Youkai?_ "Sir? Are you all right?" _What's he doing here? And why is he disguised as a salary man?_

A faintly hysterical laugh was his answer, the man rising and shaking his head miserably, "Oh fine, just _fine_… I'll be fine. After I get the hell out of Japan and hide in the bottom of a pit somewhere!" he turned on his heel, stalking back through the crowd just as rudely as he'd entered it and muttering to himself incoherently the entire while.

They were torn between directions, eyes bouncing between one and the other for a moment until Yuusuke reached up to rub the back of his head and exclaim in a dazed sort of way, "Well, _that_ was random."

The crowd was slowly returning to their more mundane tasks, leaving only their group puzzling over the skater and his questionable "victim." Kurama was unconsciously shaking his head, still denying Youko's increased insistence that they go after at least _one_ of the two involved in that little show. When Keiko grabbed onto Yuusuke and started to pull him towards the restaurant she'd picked out again, he moved to follow, continuing their original planned path when his eyes caught something… almost like a flash. There and then not.

He stopped walking, turning to stare down the street the skater had taken, and where his own focus decided to take him until he found himself looking inexplicably at a girl. From this distance, he had absolutely no clue what it was about one human girl that had caught his notice out of so many others, but she had all the same.

She was staring off after the skater as well, and his superior eyes could just make out the frown of concentration on her face, the unfocused look to her eyes as she stood in the open doorway of an old temple. One hand was curved around the edge of the shoji, poised to pull it closed, but something about the way it was placed… Thief's intuition, fighting spirit, youki… Whatever it was, it was telling him that those weren't the hands of a peaceful human, but why on that girl?

Another beat of frozen time, and she seemed to shake off whatever it was that had held her own unblinking attention, stepping completely inside and closing the door with a snap that freed him from his own jumbled enthrallment.

He was about to take off down the street, demand who she was and what those hands had done to set off the odd tingling in his soul when Hiei's hand clasped onto his wrist and pulled him back, _Are you coming or not?_

Kurama blinked, reaching up to rake a hand through his hair while he carefully avoided any of his seeds or plants, _I'm coming… I just-_

_What? _Hiei scowled, turning to look in the same direction, but unable to pinpoint the cause of the kitsune's distraction and not liking that one bit.

_Nothing, _he finally let out a pent up breath, turning his back on the temple to start following the group again. _It was nothing. Youko wanted to follow that photographer._

_Hn,_ Hiei slanted him a look that appeared to be just as bland as ever if one wasn't well accustomed to reading the hidden emotions in those chilling eyes.

_Really, Hiei, it's nothing,_ Kurama reiterated under that accusing stare, sighing when the youkai finally seemed to let it go. As soon as Hiei's attention was elsewhere however, Kurama was clenching his hand into a fist at his side, forcibly shoving down his confusion and the irrational desire to interrogate that human girl.

_Just what in all the layers of hells is going on here?_ Kurama hissed in his own mind, careful to keep it just teasing on the edge of Hiei's focus, but not enough to actually pass along that thought. He told himself over and over it was ridiculous and pointless, no doubt brought on by their latest odd mission and his mother's increasingly worried requests for his transition to domestic life. That was the only explanation for his behavior; it had to be!

Bit it still didn't stop him from looking back once more before finally following his companions away from the unfamiliar square.


	3. More Questions Than Answers

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Wow… LOL, this is just supposed to be just a present for Kazusa, but apparently, other people are enjoying it too.  Thank you for those reviews, you're all very sweet to say such things, and I hope you enjoy the way the rest of this pans out…

By Any Other Name 

More Questions Than Answers

            Souta was practically bouncing off the walls by the time Kagome finally followed him inside, her attention still focused on that sensation she'd witnessed outside.  Something about that man on skates, about his youki had sent a pulse through her, deep inside… like the feel of a shard back when it had still been scattered to the four winds.  She hadn't recognized him, but he was still familiar, and if the youkai of this time still had the magic of illusions or even the less "romantic" explanation -like artificial hair color and salons work- it didn't necessarily mean every one of them she'd seen would look as exactly as they had in the past.

            Thoughts of Shippou willing to sit in her laps for hours to have his tail and hair brushed had her smothering a warm laugh, eyes suspiciously shining with moisture as that lead to cozy nights spent just that way.  If she closed her eyes she could still hear Sango and Miroku speaking and planning in low murmurs, laughing easily with each other as they made dinner.  Inuyasha's ever watchful eyes on the house they'd restored in the taijiya stronghold after Naraku's defeat, the house they'd agreed to live in while she kept her promises.  There was still a twinge of doubt, half-worried the peace was only an illusion after so many years of pain and fear, but the more time passed, the more they had begun to settle down into real, "normal" lives.  Or at least as normal as things ever were for their group. 

            His golden eyes catching the light from the fire when he felt her gaze and turned to give her a reassuring smile, _Oi… You aren't getting moody again are you?  That idiot bouzu might lose what's left of his mind if you don't finally settle down, and you know how Sango worries and starts her hovering thing.  Just relax, Kagome, now isn't a good time for you to be getting upset._

Kagome swallowed at the clarity of his voice in her head, opening her eyes and blinking back the shimmering haze the blurred the walls of the entryway as the memory receded back into nothing but a whisper, clarity slipping through her fingers the way it always did when the sun was still up.  The peace and solitude of night always made it easiest for her to slip into a meditative trance, letting visions of her old life curl along her senses like a soothing balm, calming the burning ache of loneliness that seemed to only grow stronger with time.

            _That was the first youki I've really felt since I've returned, _Kagome's chin dropped down to her chest, lips turning up at the corners in a smile that didn't hold real humor so much as wistfulness.  _It's just me being silly.  Wishful thinking,_ her hand lifted to rest on her hip where the scar from the Shikon's original, brutal extraction still remained.  She couldn't say why, but she'd half expected even that sign of her ordeal to vanish with that disastrous wish rather than serve as the re-entry point for the jewel to make itself at home within her ribcage before it dissolved.  _I just miss everyone, that's why I'm having these flashes._

            "Nee-san!  Nee-san!" Souta's shout bounced off the walls, uncommonly loud in the previous quiet and making her wince even as he suddenly reappeared to latch onto her wrist and yank her along towards whatever it was that had caused that glowing excitement.  "This is the _coolest_ place I've ever seen!  Come on; come on!  You have to see this stuff!  You're never going to believe it!"

            She couldn't stop the laugh bubbling up out of her at his enthusiasm, letting him drag her along down the hall until he reached the spacious main room, dropping her hand to again bow in respect to the altar against the north wall and not noticing the way his sister had gone perfectly rigid behind him.

            Kagome suddenly wasn't so sure it was only wishful thinking.

            "Are you seeing this?" Souta felt safe to hop down the low wooden steps without any others to witness his decidedly irreverent behavior, rushing towards the prominent display directly across from them.  "Can you believe it?  Do you think they'd teach me how to use these?"

            "H-Hiraikotsu…" she whispered in disbelieving awe, eyes huge in her suddenly pale face as she took an unconscious step towards the unmistakable bone boomerang mounted amongst the vast collection of antique weapons.  _These are… my gods, these are all Sango's, and her family… Taijiya weapons!_

            "My goodness!  A beautiful lady who knows the family artifacts on sight?  What a very… pleasant surprise," the calm, masculine voice came from right behind Kagome, jolting her at being able to sneak up so close without setting off her senses.  Then again, the jolt may have been more from the fact that the voice rolling down her spine was one that she would have known anywhere…

            Kagome's mind stuttered to a halt, slowly turning to look behind her and up at the man smiling down at her, his blue-violet eyes curious and demanding at the same time, pressing for answers under the illusion of piety.  Those painfully familiar features were filled with the same mix of serenity and devilment that had been so obvious in his ancestor, a perfect copy of a certain perverted monk she'd had to leave behind, five hundred years in the past.

            "Miroku," Kagome's voice failed her, lips forming the name without a sound.

            Completely unperturbed by her silence, the young man straightened his shoulders with a decidedly regal air and reached out to take both her hands in his own before flashing her a charming smile, "Would you do me the honor of giving me your name?"

            _So close_, Kagome had been half expecting to hear Miroku's infamous greeting to come tumbling from this stranger the longer he squeezed her limp hands in his, eyes never wavering from her own as he seemed to search for something in them.  She could feel the tears pricking at the back of her eyes again, no doubt shocking the hell out of this poor monk when she ripped her hands out of his to throw her arms around his neck and bury her face against his robes.

            Souta started in alarm at his sister's reaction, hurrying back to her side and reaching out for her shoulders when to his confusion, the monk closed his arms around her and subtly moved her just out of Souta's reach, "Please forgive me sister, she is… under a great deal of stress."

            "Perhaps our holy temple can offer solace for her then?" he offered in a honey-smooth voice, features undergoing a subtle shift to a less "holy" attitude.  "To enter here so easily, you must be… special."

            Souta's mouth had fallen open, but before he could react to the accusation, Kagome started to laugh.  The sound was watery and strained, but all the same it was still a laugh, and it had him relaxing slightly to prod her for answers, "Kagome?"

            Those blue-violet eyes lit with recognition, brows rising in surprise and hands obviously going tighter on her for a split second before he tempered his reaction, "Kagome?  Higurashi Kagome?"

            "How did you-?!" Souta gasped out.

            "Then that _is_ your family name?" the monk interrupted, giving off an aura that seemed to be both delighted and smug at the same time. 

It would have rubbed Souta completely wrong if he hadn't been so confused and curious by this person who looked to be no older than himself knowing his sister's name, _Then again… didn't she just say-?_

"I'm sorry," Kagome's murmur broke their staring match to draw their focus down as she reluctantly eased her choke hold on his neck and tried to step away, wiping at the tears dampening her cheeks.  "I just-I… You remind me-"

"I have been told the resemblance is striking," the monk cut off her halting attempts to explained with a warm smile all for her, letting her go only as far as she seemed willing to step.  "I'll have to remember to say that has been proven by your reaction.  I have more faith that 'Kagome-sama' has a much clearer recollection… all things considered."

Souta looked at his sister's white face, reaching out again and getting frustrated when the monk again managed to subtly maneuver her just out of reach, "Dammit, will you _stop_ that?  I don't care if you are a monk, I'll take you out right here if you get fresh with my sister!"

"Miroku-sama left a gift for you," the monk ignored Souta, watching for her reaction to that simple statement and feeling himself smile when those deep blue eyes filled with tears yet again.  _No mistaking… this is the one we have been watching for.  Kagome-sama._  "Our family has protected it and waited for when you found us again."__

            "Show me," her voice was low, intense with feeling and encouraging him to dip his head in a bow of respect before turning away to a door hidden in the wall behind the altar and slipping inside.

            "Kagome, what's going on here?  Do you know this guy?" Souta whispered in her ear, clasping her hand when she still didn't move, eyes locked on the place where the monk had disappeared.  "Isn't Miroku the name of-?"

            "The monk, with the Kazaana," she nodded once in acknowledgement, heart pounding so loud in her ears she could barely hear her brother.  _Left a gift… for me?_  "My… very dear friend, and Sango's husband."

            "Wasn't he some kind of pervert though?" Souta asked in confusion.

            "Please!" the affronted exclamation preceded the monk's return, an obsidian box taller than he was, but only about a foot wide held carefully against his side as he maneuvered back to them with extra care.  "My ancestor _was _a great monk."

            Kagome burst out laughing, wrapping her arms around her stomach tightly as she shook her head, sagging against Souta when the strength drained from her legs at hearing such words come out of this person's mouth, "You are just like him."  _It's too much… so much at once…  Don't faint, Kagome, if you faint you might wake up alone and this will have all been a dream!_

He smiled again, presenting that box to her with a flourish as he knelt down and gently placed it on the floor, resting his right hand on the surface and winking when he saw the way she stared at the violet wrapping around the palm, "The first born son of every generation is charged with carrying on the history of the line, and we take our duties very seriously."

            Kagome pulled Souta down with her, sitting back on her heels as she reached out to rest her fingertips on the edge of the case, eyes glazing at the hum of holy magic radiating off it, _Miroku blessed this himself?_

"Nee-san, what is it?" he shifted his weight impatiently, wanting so badly to do the same as soon as he felt the levels of energy coming from his sister's "gift," but refraining when he saw the monk respectfully fold his hands in his lap and let her be the one to guide their actions.  _What the _hell_ is going on?  Why would Miroku leave her a present for the future? _What _would he leave?_

            "My father told me that this has been passed through the generations with strict instructions to only be given to the miko of the Shikon no Tama, and to tell her that 'there are no words,'" the monk recited softly when he saw her trace her fingertips down to the sealed latches, trying to hold in his awe as they melted away under her skin.

            Souta fell silent when Kagome clasped the edges of the box and lifted it up out of the way, leaning closer to see what had caused his sister to go so very still. He'd only just had a glimpse when the lid slipped from her fingers unnoticed, wincing at the loud clatter it made against the wooden floor while she made a choked sound he couldn't quite decipher, _A… staff?_

He and the monk stayed kneeling as Kagome reached out, closing her hand around the perfectly preserved steel and rising to her feet while the tears again poured unheeded down her cheeks.  The rings filled the temple with their melodic jingle as they were lifted free of their resting state, the sound penetrating deep into Kagome's mind to pull it backwards, teasing her with crystal clear images if she would only open up to receive them. 

Her other hand lifted, tracing along the gold for a moment before she leaned forward and closed her eyes, resting her forehead on it lightly in a show of trust.  Miroku had understood what it was like more than the other, spent long nights helping her understand…  if he had left impressions for her to him, she would let that energy pour from the staff into her. 

Kagome nearly fell at the sudden flood of images that flashed behind her eyelids: pictures of a life she would never see, friends lost to her under the inescapable pull of time and space.  She could hear them all, but the voices overlapped with the sounds of his rich laughter echoing in her head until she couldn't separate a single one to guess on the words being said. Not until the others slowly retreated back into the silence and left her with a single whisper.

            _Be happy where it has taken you._

Her shoulders shook as she slid back to the ground, clasping the staff and holding it upright even as she practically crumpled to the floor with her brother and the monk letting out sounds of concern and reaching for her.  Her throat worked with effort, warning them away with a harsh, "Don't."

            Souta's hand froze at that tone, pulling back with a strangled gasp when her skin took on a pink glow, hair rippling as though wind started to blow only around her before thin traces of iridescent streams streaked from her body to curl around her on the floor, "Nee-san?"

            Kagome shook her head, still not opening her eyes as the heavy pulse of her soul made the air around them vibrate like a heartbeat, taking in a deep breath and letting it out as she forced the backlash of energy back under control, "Not yet…  If you try to touch me right now, Souta, you might go through me."

            His eyes widened in fright, "_What?!_"

            "Don't worry," the glow died down completely, leaving her slumped over and clutching at the staff with a white-knuckled grip.  "It's not as bad as it sounds."

            "How could that not be as bad as it sounds?" Souta demanded as though she'd just gone certifiably insane between one minute and the next.  "Go _through_ you?  Why would my hand go through you!?"

            Kagome shook her head, opening her eyes and turning to him with a more serious expression than he'd ever seen her turn on him before, "There is always a price to pay for victory, Souta."

            There was a long space filled with nothing but Kagome's heavy breathing and the faint sound of Miroku's rings brushing against each other with the faint shaking of her hand until the monk sat back and stuffed his hands up into his sleeves and cleared his throat, "Then all the stories are true."

            She nodded with one more deep sigh and leaned back to sit more comfortably on her heels again, never once taking her hand off the staff as she reached with the other to hold palm up to him, "Your ancestor was not the type of man to have spoken lies about important matters.  He _was_ a great monk… but he was a great pervert too."

            He blinked and started to chuckle, bringing a loosely closed fist up to his mouth before he reached it out to hold her hand and tilted his head in a particularly boyish motion.  He offered her a wry smile as their fingers laced together, "At least now I know where I got my eyes."

            Souta frowned at that strange remark, looking at Kagome to see if she understood and brow furrowing when he saw the way her eyes had filled with longing, her hand lifting to brush his bangs away from his face, "Nee-san?"

            "The manners of your family are slipping if you've gone this long without telling me what they named you," Kagome scolded as her magic swept into him, reading through the paths of his own aura to get her own, deeper questions answered before returning to her in a warm rush that made her shiver.  _Then this is true as well._

            "Ah… forgive my rudeness, Kagome.  They had debated about naming me for him, but in the end, they settled on Shinju," he offered instantly, the faintest touch of pink rising in his cheeks at the chastisement in her voice despite his efforts to hold it down. 

            "Figures," she couldn't help but laugh again, letting his hand go and sitting back to reach over and give Souta a reassuring pat when he gripped her sleeve urgently. 

            "I should take offense," he pressed his gloved hand to his heart and tried to look hurt at her amusement.  "I have lived up to my name perfectly!"

            "I'm sure," Kagome remarked dryly, giggling when he put on his best version of a hurt expression, using the staff to rise to her feet and look down at Souta.  "Call Mom."

            "Call-?  Wait, no?  But Kagome-!" he started to protest, certain that this would be the place that his sister thought good enough to continue his training.  Sure the monk was strange, and there were weird things happening one after another, but hadn't he learned more about what had happened to her since they got here?  First the weapons, and then the monk, and the glowing thing-

            "This is the one," she looked over at Shinju and on to the display again, lifting Miroku's staff to stare at the innocent looking rings, and letting her expression ease into a warm smile.  "You should learn from family after all."

            Hiei was already sitting on the railing when Kurama stumbled inside, his very posture radiating exhaustion as he dropped his keys carelessly on the kitchen counter on his way out to the balcony.  When the kitsune didn't even bother to close the doors to the interior before more or less collapsing over the rail with a groan, the shorter youkai turned to glance at him and inquire with false innocence, "Rough date?"

            "One snicker and you're going to wake up bald and tied to a flagpole somewhere, Hiei, I swear to gods," Kurama muttered into his arms, not lifting his head to see the amusement he could practically taste rolling off his friend.

            "Oh c'mon," he folded his arms behind his head with a grin, leaning back against the wall in what had become one of his favorite positions in Kurama's apartment.  "You have to admit that it's getting to the point of just being silly."

            Kurama turned a glare up on him that clearly showed he was contemplating some rather unpleasant things against him, "It's goddamn ridiculous, Hiei, not silly."

            Hiei arched an eyebrow when Kurama huffed and went back to practically draping himself down over the railing, one hand over his eyes as he obviously tried to soothe his frustration.  He tilted his head, pondering what had possessed the kitsune to undertake such a stressful pastime, and asking for what he knew had to be the hundredth time, "Are you _sure_ this is what your mother wants?"

            "All human mothers want their sons to get married and have children, and Shiori is no different," Kurama grumbled, straightening up to stretch out the kinks in his back.  "She may not be saying it, but they have a gift for the subtle hints… You remember how Keiko acted when she wanted to get pregnant that first time?"

            "How could I forget?" Hiei was instantly snickering at his fond memories of Yusuke's extended torment.

            "It's a little like that," his expression twisted sourly for a moment, raking his hands through his hair.  "She 'just happens to notice' couples with their kids, baby clothes… not that she's _saying_ anything, she'll just stop and stare at them until _I_ notice that she's staring and then wave if off like it's nothing and walk off.  But then she sighs the rest of the day and makes a point to hold my left hand.  You know that western tradition?  Rings?"

            "Humans are so strange," Hiei rolled his eyes, letting one leg dangle off the rail to kick it back and forth lazily with his boredom.  "No wonder you've started getting more violent with the little ones that make it through.  Working out your frustration?"

            '_Ask him how pleasant _he_ would be if he had to put up with the people you've been approaching,_' Youko muttered in annoyance.  '_I would be much better at this since you refuse to take off our old experience.  If you weren't trying to push that whole boundaries thing, you'd realize we're better at this than humans.  Just let us blend, Kurama, we'll have the kid for Shiori with someone acceptable, and we'll all be happier for it.  Technically we shouldn't be able to argue with ourselves like this… it can't be healthy.'_

_            Shut up, Youko, I'm not going give up just because we've been having bad luck,_ Kurama shot back, turning to look back in his kitchen and making a motion with his hand to ask his roses to boil water for tea.

            '_We might not look like we age, Kurama, but that doesn't change the fact that you've been picking idiots for almost a year.  The humans around us aren't getting any younger either,'_ Youko gave him every impression of wrinkling his nose in disgust.  '_Can't we find even one girl who doesn't care that we disappear now and then?'_

"They think we're sneaking off to be with other women," Kurama turned his back to the rail, propping his elbows on it to brace his weight for the lazy position.  "Can you believe one of them was actually in bed with someone else when I visited?  And then had the gall to tell me that I shouldn't mind if she was having fun on the side since I didn't expect her to ask questions when I never called or came by?"

            "Youko must have loved that," Hiei snorted in a particularly deprecating manner.

            "We might not be all out telling them that we're intending to have a baby, but we aren't going to let someone we're looking at as a potential girl to sleep with every human who passes her door," he nodded, unconsciously agreeing with the emotion coloring his friend's voice at that observation.  "Youko was disgusted."

            '_Understatement.'_

_            Hush, _he held out a hand and smiled at the plant that slipped onto the balcony, holding up a teacup to him.  "It's not like we feel some driving desire to get a virgin, but we would highly _prefer_ someone who's been selective," he was vaguely aware that he was more or less rambling his irritation out loud to the one person who was fully conscious of the entire situation and taking supreme glee in his discomforts.

            '_So I'm picky, sue me,_' Youko scoffed.  '_Humans are so much harder to pick from than youkai… they're so damn plain, and weird, and… well, boring.  Then there's that whole fucking purity thing!  Are they all so uptight about sexuality?'_

            "He's right," Hiei shrugged and interrupted before Youko could get worked up onto one of his favorite topics.  Still, he couldn't hold back a slight chuckle when Kurama slanted him another rather dark look, "What?  You're a kitsune; you're instinctively accustomed to a higher level of standards with that pretty face.  Even if you tried to separate yourself from the worst of that arrogance in your human life, you remember on the inside."

            Kurama's eyebrow twitched when Youko agreed with that, taking the chance to pressure him into accepting more of his soul's nature, "Look.  I _know_ that we're used to being selective, but humans just can't compare with demons like that, and we all know it.  Especially when you put them beside kitsunes."

            "So what do you intend to do?" Hiei didn't even try to hide the smug grin on his face, easily imagining a good long run with this particular form of entertainment.  "Youko's observation about your track record is correct… you have yet to find someone you both like who is willing to put up with your responsibilities to Reikai without knowing them.  It should narrow your search-"

            "I intend to find someone," Kurama gritted his teeth, hand tightening on his cup in lieu of his desire to do the same to Hiei's neck at the moment.  "I'm over a thousand years old, dammit, I can manage to find a human acceptable and willing to bear a child for me."

            '_Damn right!' _Youko encouraged him, perking up happily at hearing Kurama start to refer to them singularly instead of separate.  '_Now, are you sure you don't want to just find a reborn human soul in Makai?  It would be a lot easier, and we could definitely make the baby appear human.  Illusions and all.'_

_            I am not going to find a human who's life earned them a place in Makai,_ Kurama made a sound of frustration.  _I can find a human here and not have to watch my back when I'm in bed with them at home. _

_            'Good point,' _Youko conceded.  '_It would be nice to just sleep beside a cute, warm girl and not have to be on the alert that she would slit our throat.  Ooh!  Just think!  If we were all tired and coming back from one of those ridiculous missions, and it was late, we could slip in behind her and-'_

"Are you going to stand out her and fantasize all night in front of me, or are you actually going to plan on a better way to find a girl who fits your requirements?" Hiei's dry question cut into the vivid little picture Youko and Kurama were drawing in their head behind swirling, heavy-lidded green and gold eyes.  "It's a nice thought, but really… won't it work better with a real girl instead of a fantasy?"

            '_I'm starting to dislike him,'_ Youko grumbled, annoyed at having his pretty thoughts disrupted before he was done with it.  '_I was really getting into that one.'_

_            Me too, _Kurama hid his expression behind his cup for a sip before shifting uncomfortably at the reminder of just how "into" Youko's fantasy he'd been.  Frustrated in more ways than one now, he gave into the juvenile urge to stick his tongue out at Hiei, "Unless you start paying rent or buying groceries, the next time you have the urge to spoil what little chance at peace I'm having for my evening, I'd suggest you keep it to yourself unless you want to spend yours getting friendly with my roses."

            "It's rude to space out into a sexual fantasy while someone is trying to have a serious conversation with you," Hiei stretched out lazily, lips curving up at the violently snarled threats bouncing around in Kurama's head.  "Although that frustration certainly seems to have done wonders for your creativity," he couldn't poking just a little more.

            Kurama already knew that the little demon wouldn't be there when he lashed out at the railing, feeling the stone crack under his fist and turning a scowl up at where he'd simply perched on the edge of the overhang, "Hold still and I'll show you creative.  I'm not in the mood to waste my energy chasing your scrawny ass around my building."

            "Ooh, name calling now," Hiei's smile grew wider.  "Aren't we a little old for that?"

            "Bald on a flagpole, Hiei," he growled out, eyes flashing gold in the darkness.  "Don't tempt me after the night I've had."

            He was back to chuckling, dropping back down with his singular grace onto the railing to settle comfortably again, "What happened to that amazing calm you like people to think you have?  You keep acting so much like a demon and they're going to call you on it.  Do you really want Yusuke and Kurabara to hear about your private mission?"

            "I'd rather die," he grumbled, slowly sinking down until he was sitting on the floor, back to the rail and staring into his dark apartment.  "Can you imagine?  They'd love to have the chance to mock the 'demons' for dealing with this."

            "Leave me out of this," Hiei snorted and shook his head.  "I'm not the one who felt the sudden urge to find a human girl and breed with her.  I just don't think it's their business to be involved."

            "You're a twisted little bastard, you know that, right?" Kurama sighed heavily, tucking one knee up to his chest and leaning back.  "You don't mind milking whatever excitement you can from this mess, but you don't want anyone else to do it.  What would people think?"

            '_Maybe he's jealous,'_ Youko pointed out with a snicker.  '_Maybe he's the reason we're fucking up.  He doesn't want us to have a lover, so he's following us and making the humans think other things.'_

            "You're doing fine on your own, why would I disrupt the delicate balance of your misery?" Hiei rolled his eyes at the stray thoughts he was picking up from the kitsune.  "It's more fun to see the breed best known for seducing others left and right making such a royal ass of himself to a bunch of human girls."

            '_We're just looking at the wrong girls,' _Youko sounded just as offended as Kurama was feeling, muttering yet again about all the ways he'd love to torture the demon smirking down at them in such a superior way.  '_We should try a different town… maybe over closer to your other companions.  Aren't they used to less natural things with him in the neighborhood?'_

            Kurama blinked at that thought, tilting his head and turning up to look at Hiei, "What do you think?"

            "You're asking me?" he chuckled, expression showing he thought Kurama was finally losing it.  "Are you forgetting that I'm using your romantic failures to assuage my boredom?"

            "I'm asking you seriously, dammit!" Kurama seethed up at him.  "Can _you_ forget that you're acting like a human teenager for two seconds and give me some advice I can use?"

            "If you're going to continue to call me by such names, I may leave you to wallow in your troubles without even my company," Hiei turned up his nose.

            Kurama just barely stopped himself from tearing out his own hair, counting to ten with Youko rattling off his plans for the removal of vital organs in the background, "Hiei."

            "What could it hurt," he acquiesced grudgingly, but he still knew better than to push Kurama too far beyond a certain point.  He didn't earn his respect and friendship with only that pretty face, after all, "Maybe it would be easier if you weren't the strangest 'human' in the town.  If they're used to Yusuke and the company he keeps already, they may be more likely to accept your… quirks."

            '_I'll show his ass quirks,' _Youko's growl actually spilled over, making Hiei's attention snap down to him with a warning look.

            "It's my house, I can growl if I want to," Kurama shot back, covering his own concern at such a blatant mingling of their personas.

            Hiei continued to stare silently for a long moment, eyes narrowed and piercing until Kurama looked off at the night sky again, "Perhaps being around those humans will do you some good.  You were always more focused on giving off those 'nothing could possibly shake me' vibes when they were around.  And if you're getting pissy you can always play one of your tricks on them without giving yourself away."

            "There is that bonus," his lips curved up slightly at the thought.

            Kurama wearily tucked his other knee up to his chest, resting his forehead on his folded arms and closing his eyes to let the sounds and smells of nature the breeze carried to smooth over his senses.  '_You know… we should really get a place out farther.  It's not that difficult for them to get to us with all that portal shit, and we could actually be close to trees and real plants.  That'd calm us down.'_

_            'Not now, Youko,' _Kurama shook his head.  '_We need to be where we can get to everyone and still have our privacy.  We've been over this.'_

_            'Yeah well, it sucks,' _he retorted.  '_We can't thrive in such unfeeling environments, and our offspring will hate it.  Or grow up weird and humanized… like those other kitsune we've seen here and there.'_

_            'We're getting ahead of ourselves,' _Kurama cut him off rather than admit he was confused by the almost wistful tone to his voice, almost like Youko was actually starting to want to succeed instead of feeling as indifferent as he first claimed.  '_We have to actually make the child first.'_

_            'Details,' _Youko waved that off with the kind of perfect confidence only a kitsune could have. 

            "Are we going to kill what's left of our sanity by staying in Yusuke's neighborhood, or aren't we?" Hiei interrupted again, mildly irritated at Kurama's ability to exclude anyone around him simply by striking up a conversation with Youko.  "You're going to have to focus or you're going to be just as unsuccessful there as you have been here."

            Kurama blinked up at Hiei, tilting his head as he pondered just what had brought on that almost scolding tone, "I'm not an idiot, Hiei."

            "Then stop acting like one," he stood up, setting a hand on his hip before scowling off at the random flashes of youki swirling in the shadows.  "Come on.  We'll have time to take out a few minor troubles before morning, work off some of your frustration."

            '_He's still not forgiven,' _Youko grumbled in the silence that followed, even as Kurama rose to his feet.

            "You're breaking my heart," Hiei scoffed, stretching his arms up over his head.

            "If you had one to break, I would," Kurama shot back, climbing up onto the rail and taking in a deep, cleansing breath of air.  "Don't fall behind," he taunted before leaping off the balcony.


	4. Threads Through Fate's Fingers

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  *** **Laughing *  Well… I didn't think that there'd be more than Kazusa enjoying this, but all right then.  Thanks for the reviews!  They're very sweet, especially considering I don't usually write like this, and I really do hope that everyone enjoys the rest of the story.  A warning in advance though… I'll have to up the rating after a while because I have been threatened with bodily harm if I don't put in some *coughinteractionscough* later on.  Until then, it'll stay 'R' but that won't last the entire fic.  Sorry to anyone who doesn't like more sensitive materials…  Anyhow, enjoy!

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Threads Through Fate's Fingers~

            Shinju leaned back against the wall of his 'office' casually, eyes straying to the doorway where he could see out to the woman standing so calm and at ease in the center of the main hall.  She hadn't released his ancestor's staff, holding it with the air of long practice, and making him reach out to stroke a fingertip down his own inherited weapon with an air of humble consideration.  _He says she was taught by Miroku himself…was it with his own staff?  I could ask… but should I ask Kagome herself?  How long has it been for her?_

            He sighed and shifted the phone receiver against his ear, listening distractedly to the steady ring while he waited for the line to pick up, "Come on, you self-absorbed old bastard… I know you're there.  It's important this time!"

            It seemed like forever until the other line finally clicked, the incessant ring changing to the deep, clipped voice of his boss, "What is it, Houshi?"

            "She's here."

            There was a breath of silence before the man on the other end spoke again, obviously focused completely on Shinju this time, "You're certain?"

            "Absolutely positive," he couldn't help but smile as he watched Kagome press a hand against Hiraikotsu, lips moving to answer something her little brother was asking as he flitted about trying to settle his attention on one thing in such a collection.  "She just… wandered in off the street, with her little brother."

            "Aren't you a lucky little bastard then," he chuckled richly at the thought of how alarming such an event would have been.  "So… _this_ was the end of the dual time line," satisfaction filled his tone, breathing out a sigh of relief as the missing piece of his world righted itself.  "This was the time she returned to after keeping her promises to your ancestors."

            "So it would seem," he nodded in reflex, despite his awareness that he wasn't being seen.  "How did you give away this temple without my father knowing?" he finally demanded when it became obvious his boss wasn't intending to be forthcoming.

            "I have no idea what you're talking about."

            "Don't give me that shit!" Shinju glared at the receiver before taking a deep breath to calm himself down.  "Look, the little brother started training… wants to be a monk, and she's feeling out the schools her grandfather said had potential.  You can make it so no one can see this place, so how did they find it?"

            He could hear the smug grin in that familiar voice, "Kagome-sama _is_ the miko of legends, Houshi, none of my spells will work for long against her."

            "You aren't going to tell me, are you?"

            "That would be a correct observation."

            Shinju sighed in resignation, slumping back against the wall again and changing the subject, "She knew the Hiraikotsu on sight."

            "She would," he snorted in amusement.  "I don't think you're grasping this concept properly, Houshi.  She was _there_, in the era when all those weapons your family has passed down were new and used every day to defend their lives.  There's a possibility she knows how to use it, but her preference was arrows, or that damn staff your grandfather gave her."

            Shinju blinked, making a soft sound as he let that sink in, trying to digest what should have been impossible for any living thing to accomplish.  For once, there were no deprecating remarks for his silence, just the soft sound of breathing as he waited for Shinju to come to terms with Kagome's presence in his life.  He glanced back out at her, unable to stop himself from smiling when she laughed at something Souta said to her, "Do you think she'd let me call her Mom?  I mean… I don't really remember my parents anyway, and she… I don't know, do you think she would?"

            He heard coughing in the background, and a low growl right in his ear to signal whoever was laughing on the other end was about to have an unpleasant afternoon, "You will have to ask Kagome-sama if she would allow it.  It may be confusing considering she is… how old is she this year, Takashima?"

            Shinju snickered when he heard the irritated voice on the other end lamenting that he was never called by his first name, only to choke off and rattle out a number in a rather strangled way, "I thought you were trying to be less violent."

            "I can just as easily call a car and visit you, Houshi, do not tempt me," he responded before clearing his throat and settling back as though nothing was wrong, and there wasn't a young man whining about abuse in the background.  "As I was saying, Kagome-sama is only seven years older than you.  People may be confused."

            "Not in public," he waved that off, sighing yet again as he watched her.  "I mean in private… I don't think anyone in this time is properly equipped to understand our family unless they're youkai.  Hell, even then it's pushed their limits a couple times."

            A sigh, and then obvious reluctance, "Ask her yourself.  I can imagine that the separation has not been easy, and we have yet to ask how long ago she has been here away from all of us."

             "What if she hasn't told her brother?" he remarked absently, more thinking out loud than wanting an answer.  "I'm getting the impression that she's been close-lipped about what she did for us."

            "This time is more complicated than Sengoku Jidai," he replied without hesitation.  "With all the human doctors and science of this time…"

            "I get it," Shinju's lips curved up in a humorless smile when his voice trailed off, reaching up to twirl his finger in his simple little ponytail.  "Do you think it's hard for her to be here now?"

            "Why are you asking stupid questions, Houshi?" he snorted.  "The only person who can answer your questions is Kagome-sama, and standing here rambling at me is not the way to get them.  She isn't a mind-reader, and neither am I."

            Shinju could feel himself blush at the entertained censure in that smooth voice, "You told me to call you if she came, and after all the years you've taken care of our family, I felt it only fair to comply with your request."

            "Have I told you how obnoxious you sound when you're embarrassed?" he snorted on the other end.  "You start speaking just like the first one of your line I was forced to associate with.  At any rate, I do not have the time to sit around and speak with you, no matter how much I would like to.  Keep her there for at least another hour so I have time to bring a car past.  It has been too long since I saw the Shikon-no-Tama."

            Shinju wanted so badly to pout, but then again, he was too old for that kind of thing, and they both knew it, "Fine… I'll be at my absolute best, sir."

            "In that case, I expect to find you unconscious in a corner by the time I arrive," he responded dryly before the line clicked again to indicate the call's end.

            Shinju took the phone away from his ear, scowling at it even as he hung up and muttered, "I wonder if Miroku-jiji found himself faced with such blatant disrespect for his calling as a monk."

            "Shinju-chan?" Kagome's voice had him jumping, hand over his heart at having failed to sense her presence.  "I'm sorry, I should have made noise."

            "No, no!" he held up his hands, walking forward to clasp hers and glance around behind her to make sure Souta was still in the main hall looking at the weapon display.  "Please, come into my office so we can talk."

            Kagome nodded, letting him pull her inside and gently slide the shoji closed, "I have to ask you-"

            "Can I call you Mom?" Shinju cut her off before she could finish that sentence, suddenly feeling like he was five years old as he closed his eyes and waited for her denial to come crashing down on his head.  He hadn't meant to blurt it out that way, meant to ask her about the past and what it was like.  But as soon as he'd seen her, all that had fallen out of his head and left only that single, bizarre question, and now she was staring up at him like he'd just hit her over the head.  "Please forget I said that!" he stammered out in a rush, nervously fidgeting with papers on his desk and cursing himself a hundred times in his head for being such an idiot when her hand covered his and forced it to still its frantic movements.

            "Who did you descend from, Shinju-chan?" her voice was quiet, but he could hear the harsh edge to it, the sound of a throat too dry but speaking through it.

            His eyes went wide, abruptly seeing a side to his own history that he'd never even imagined.  His thoughts and musings as a little boy, he knew the stories and theories that she would be alive in their time, but not once had he ever stopped to think of the implications of that truth.  "I…  Kazenatsu, Kagome-sama.  My ancestor was Kazenatsu," he finally answered, watching the way her eyes turned absolutely liquid with emotion.

            "Kazenatsu," she repeated, feeling the strength starting to drain from her for the second time that day, reaching out to brace herself up on the antique desk.

            Shinju reached out, setting his hand on her shoulder in concern, but still feeling like he needed to say more from that pleading, lost look in her eyes, "Your son."

~*~*~*~

            "Keiko, are you nuts?!" Yuusuke glanced over his shoulder to be certain Hiei and Kurama were occupied outside with his kids before trying to get his wife to stop ignoring him long enough to clear up this –in his opinion- mess.  "Those two would never, in a million years, show up here to take a 'little vacation.'  They're youkai, it just ain't their nature!"

            "They're also your friends and if they want to stay here for a while, why can't you be more understanding?" she glanced up from washing dishes to frown at him.  "Honestly, Yuusuke, you're acting like we're fifteen again."

            "So what?  We're supposed to just let them stay as long as they want?" he huffed when she slapped a towel into his hands and started passing him wet dishes to be dried.  "What if they bring something around here that could hurt the kids?"

            "They wouldn't do that and you know it," Keiko rolled her eyes.  "Who would have thought you'd turn into the most paranoid father who ever existed?"

            "I'm not paranoid," he pouted, leaning back to look out the window where his son was stubbornly attempting to tackle Hiei, only to have the little demon side-step and send his younger brother into fits of giggles.

            Keiko reached over and grabbed his hair, pulling him back away from the window, "They're fine.  Kurama won't let anything happen to them and if Hiei managed to not kill Kurabara after all these years, I think it's safe to trust his restraint with a five-year-old you."

            Yuusuke frowned, trying to decide if she was subtly insulting him given the sometimes questionable antics of his oldest son, "How are we supposed to have private time with two youkai in the house?  It's bad enough trying to fit it around the kids and fucking Koenma, and your job at the restaurant-"

            She clucked her tongue, rinsing the soap off her hand and reaching up to cover his mouth, "You're rambling."

            "Keiko-"

            "Stop worrying about things so much, Yuusuke," she couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head as she listened to the delighted squeals of her children outside, occasionally interspersed with the low sounds of Hiei and Kurama's voices.  "They wouldn't be here if it wasn't important, and they trust you to be around them for whatever it is they're dealing with.  Doesn't that mean enough to you that you can handle putting them up for a while?  It's not like they're irresponsible."

            Yuusuke sighed, grumbling under his breath at having her twist it around in a way that would make him look like a total ass if he tried to kick them out, "They should tell us what's going on if they 'trust' us so much."

            "Would you?" she set a hand on her hip, turning to look at him while she pulled the stopper out of the sink.  "You said they've never been very open about themselves, so maybe they just need some time."

            "I'd rather just beat their heads against the wall until they tell me what the fuck this is all about," Yuusuke muttered under his breath, putting the last plate away and ducking away from Keiko's attempt to grab him.

            "They're getting their mouths from _you!_" she scolded furiously, throwing the sponge at his head and narrowing her eyes when he easily dodged and held up the towel in a 'snap-ready' position.  "I swear, Yuusuke, if I hear another new word that they learned from you come out of them, you're going to be sleeping on the floor in the guestroom with Kurama and Hiei!"

            "Oi!" his brows shot up, expression twisting in absolute horror.  "Keiko!  You can't do that to me in my own house!"

            "Try me, Urameshi!" she folded her arms over her chest.  "My children are not going to follow in their father's delinquent footsteps."

            "They ain't delinquents," he defended, pointing outside to try and illustrate his point.  "They can take on kids three times their size already, they're fast, they-"

            "Are you going to list anything that doesn't involve fighting or sensing youkai?" one eyebrow kicked up.  "Just because you made a career out of working for Rekai, it doesn't mean your children can do it too.  I want at least _one_ of my babies to have a normal job in this realm that doesn't involve death on a regular basis."

            "We've talked about this," he sighed, raking a hand through his hair and leaning his hip back against the counter.  "If they have skills, they need to be developed.  We can't pretend to be regular people when we both know it ain't true."

            Keiko took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Can we at least wait until they're older?  Maybe trade off you teaching them in exchange for good grades?  School?  Remember that?"

            Yuusuke winced, rolling his eyes and trying not to let her see his disgusted expression, "How could I forget?"

            That got him a kick in the shin, "You are expressly forbidden from allowing your boys to cut school, do you hear me?"

            "I hear you," he leaned down and rubbed his abused leg.

            "And?" Keiko leaned down to put her face level with his.

            "Okay, okay… you can handle the school thing," Yuusuke gave in with enough reluctance to get himself a frown from his wife.  "What?!"

            "Suddenly I'm rather happy you actually bring home a paycheck from working with Koenma now," she shook her head and turned to leave the kitchen.  "Don't forget to make everyone wash their hands before they get handprints all over the walls, and don't you dare let them stay up past nine."

            "Wait, dammit, Keiko-!" Yuusuke glared at the window, torn between watching Hiei and Kurama with his kids and finding out why Keiko was acting so touchy.  Finally, he swore under his breath and followed his wife, knowing Hiei was listening when he muttered out, "An hour, then they'd better be inside, or I really will bust some heads."

~*~

            Hiei rolled his eyes where he sat under the window, folding his arms and leaning back more against the side of the house, _Humans are so moody._

_            Moody or not, they didn't have to say yes,_ Kurama reminded him, turning his face into the breeze that flowed out from the woods, soothing his need to be close to nature.  _Try not to torment them too much, hn?_

_            'You shouldn't say that,'_ Youko snorted derisively.  '_If he's bothering Yuusuke, he'll leave us the hell alone and stop making those annoying remarks about your lack of success.'_

_            Our lack, _Kurama reminded him with a faint growl.

            '_I refuse to take responsibility when I haven't even been consulted on your techniques,' _he scoffed at the very idea.  '_We have all this knowledge and experience, and you're insisting we only do it the human way?  From what you've experienced in that fragile body?  That's bullshit.'_

_            I am not arguing with you about this today,_ Kurama resisted the urge to kick Hiei when his peripheral vision registered the little smirk crossing his friend's face.  His eyes might have been focused on the two boys wrestling in the grass, but his attention was all focused on the kitsune's internal 'discussion.'

            '_Why not?  We're supposed to be getting on top of this, aren't we?'_ Youko was prowling about, continually turning their head towards the woods and trying to convince him that they needed some private time amongst the trees and plants growing wild beyond human eyes.  '_If you aren't going to find someone for us to have sex with and make this 'all important' baby, at least let's go roll around somewhere where there isn't that smell of people and machines overpowering our nose.'_

_            I am not going to 'roll around' in the woods, _Kurama replied primly.

            '_I'll do it then, you can watch from the inside.'_

_            No!  Gods, Youko, we are not going to just wander off into the woods where anyone might see us, _Kurama let out an impatient snort that had Hiei's eyebrow kicking up in blatant taunting.  "Stay out of my head," he grumbled sourly, folding his arms over his chest and trying to ignore them both to just watch Yuusuke's boys.

            _It's more fun to listen though, _Hiei stretched his arms up over his head and glanced over at the street to the occasional car passing by.  _You're being bitchy enough with not letting yourself get in touch with your real soul, Kurama, what could it hurt to let yourself go play for a while?_

Kurama turned to stare down at him as though his brain had just fallen out of his head, "I can't believe that just came out of you."

            _What?  I think it's ridiculous that you're trying so hard to act like a good little human when you aren't one,_ he frowned in mild consideration when he felt a twinge at the back of his senses, something unnaturally strong…  _Your soul is too strong, it's absorbing that body and restoring you back to what you were, you know it is.  The only thing I can think is that your damn ego is making you try to be the best at this life the way you were in your last.  In your own head at least._

_            'I _am_ the best!' _Youko fumed at the insinuation that he'd puffed up his own importance.  '_The first thing I'm going to do to you when I'm on top, Hiei, is smash that pointy little head of yours against a tree!'_

"Hn," he brushed that off, much more focused on that feeling getting closer.  _Calm down and get ready… do you feel that?_

Kurama blinked, even Youko losing steam at the sudden seriousness in the shorter demon's attitude as they fanned out their own senses to brush along that foreign youki, "What the hell?"

            _I don't know, but whatever it is, it's too strong, _Hiei's eyes narrowed sharply.  _How is it on this plane if that Rekai brat hasn't summoned us to watch it?_

Before Kurama could respond, both Yuusuke's sons perked up and darted to the fence surrounding their yard, hopping up on the rail to start waving enthusiastically at a sleek black car driving at a rather leisurely pace down the street.  Ryou leaned back, calling over his shoulder loudly, "Oi!  Kurama-nii-san, Hiei-nii-san!  Come wave before he's gone!"

            "He?" Kurama shared a look with Hiei before they both walked forward more cautiously, eyes trained on the tinted windows and the pale, elegant hand that lifted in acknowledgement to the waving pair.

            Toushi let out a delighted shout and jumped up on top of the fence with a huge grin, "Konbanwa, Takeharuka-sama!"

            The car pulled up parallel to the fence just as the two demons reached it, dismissing the pleasant enough looking girl in the passenger seat as she giggled and waved back.  Their eyes went instead to the backseat, narrowing sharply when the figure hidden behind those darkened windows turned his head, his lips curving up in just the faintest arrogant smile before his own gaze flashed gold and the car moved beyond their eyes.

            Oblivious to the sudden tension, Ryou reached up and tugged his brother off the top of the fence before he folded his arms on top of it and rested his chin on his hands, "That's Takeharuka-sama and his niece, they're really great even though the old guy that drives the car is a prick."

            "I'm telling Okaa-san!" Toushi rubbed his head and pointed at his older brother accusingly.  "You're getting soap in your mouth this time for sure!"

            "I'll tell her you were on top of the fence again!" he shot back, forgetting his 'introduction' in favor of tackling his little brother.  

            Hiei spared them a glance to be certain they weren't actually damaging each other before he scowled down the road, _That man… wasn't human._

_            'No shit,' _Youko rolled his eyes.  '_Or didn't that 'all seeing' runt notice that he knew what we were and was challenging us?  New plan: follow the car.'_

_            We can't follow the car, Youko,_ Kurama reached up and rubbed his aching head.  _We promised to be here for dinner since we dropped in so unexpectedly.  And we can't leave Yuusuke's children unattended._

_            'Put them inside then!  Gods, Kurama, are you trying to bore us to death?!  Even Hiei wants to go after it!' _he pointed out.

            Hiei shook his head, _I do… but that's not a youkai that can be taken by surprise.  He knows we're curious, knows we don't know him…  Dammit, who _is_ that?_

Kurama turned to look down at Ryou and Toushi, kneeling down to separate them and squeezing their shoulders to get their attention, "How do you know that Takeharuka person?"

            Ryou blinked curiously, automatically looking off in the direction of the car, "Uncle Kurabara works for one of his companies.  We met him when Okaa-san was visiting and we went exploring."

            "He got us lost," Toushi accused.  "We were trying to find some candy."

            Kurama could feel Hiei's displeasure radiating off him, glancing up at his friend warningly before stopping the budding argument between the brothers, "You said he was nice to you?"

            "Well… he scared us at first," Toushi admitted, looking down at his feet as he toed the grass nervously.  "He's really tall, and the only times he smiled was when he was saying something mean to the person in his office."

            "But he threw a rock or something at that old guy who was yelling at us for spying and took us to meet his niece," Ryou was warming up to the story, puffing up importantly.  "They fed us and found Okaa-san and Uncle Kurabara.  Takeharuka-sama has the _best_ candy, and he was really nice for someone that big."

            Kurama frowned and looked down the street again, patting them on the head and murmuring them to go find Yuusuke, waiting for them to scamper back into the house before he rejoined Hiei at the fence, "Well?"

            "I'm inclined to go strangle a certain idiot," Hiei admitted in a low voice.  "This means Koenma _has _to know who he is… but he's either not telling us, or just not telling _us._"

            Kurama nodded, frowning at the idea that their "boss" had purposefully kept information about such a powerful, and obviously well-established youkai living peacefully in the Ningenkai, _Why does everything always get complicated at once._

_            'Stop complaining,' _Youko chuckled softly in the back of his mind.  '_Think of it this way, now we have something to look into to take your mind off the humans you keep picking.'_

_            This doesn't fix that I still need to find a girlfriend, _Kurama reminded him with a sigh, reluctantly admitting that this was a welcome distraction.  _This really could make it more difficult._

_            'I don't really see how that's possible with the mess you're making of things, but then again, I've been known to be wrong once or twice.'_

~*~*~*~

            "What do you need, Big Dog?" the too cheerful voice came through the receiver much too loudly, drawing a wince from the man.

            "Must you yell into the phone like a child?" he slid the glasses off his face, setting them carefully in his lap before he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to dispel the ringing in his ears.

            "'Fraid so… arrested development from early family separation or some such bullshit.  Ask Natsu, you pushed him into that head school so we could have one in the family," although he did tone it down when he spoke, knowing better than to do too much annoying in one day.

            "I should have you medicated," he sighed, digging through his briefcase.  "I have a job for you, Takashima."

            "All ears, boss!"

            "You have yet to prove that to my satisfaction," he returned dryly.  "The woman with the two young boys, the ones with the trace demon blood…"

            "Ah, the Urameshi family?  What about them?" Takashima chirped innocently.

            "It shouldn't surprise me that you already know names."

            "That's my job, isn't it?  I'm the best and you know it, or you wouldn't put up with me being so close to you," he snickered into the phone.

            "I want information and pictures, Takashima," he cut off the sound before it could really get irritating.  "There were two demons in their yard as I passed, demons I haven't seen before.  Tell me why and how familiar that family is with such things."

            "Consider it done, oh all mighty leader-"

            "And remind me to teach you to be respectful to your elders again," he interrupted, voice thick with disdain.  "The lessons seem to fall out of your head once a decade."

            "No promises," Takashima replied cheerfully even as the line was disconnected, chuckling to himself even as he prepared to go to work.


	5. Waking up the Past

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Aw, you guys are really too sweet to me with all the encouragement and reviews, heck, I've even been getting emails.  You seeing this, Kazusa?  Creepy stuff!  LOL!  At any rate, I really do love hearing that I'm entertaining people, and I'll try to respond to the mail I get in a quasi-timely fashion.  *rubs head*  Real life can blow sometimes, ne?  But enough of my unnecessary rambling...  It may be a little rough, but enjoy your next chapter.  ^__~

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Waking Up the Past ~

            Souta knew he probably had a dumbfounded look on his face as he stared at his sister's tense, even pleading expression after that bombshell she'd just dropped on him.  He couldn't help but look up to the young monk pretending he wasn't listening while he washed the dishes from their recent dinner.  Still, he could see Shinju's eyes slanted on him discreetly as he set plates in the wooden rack to dry, obviously waiting just as anxiously as Kagome for his acceptance or rejection.

            However, he was still too shocked to do more than murmur distractedly when he finally found his voice, "I… guess that remark about his eyes makes sense now."

            Shinju blinked, turning around more completely to look from Souta to Kagome, his lips tugging up in a slight smile before he dried his hands and moved to stand supportively behind her, "Perhaps it is better that you didn't understand at first."

            "Souta?" Kagome leaned forward, her eyes searching his carefully for his real feelings, hands fisting against her thighs.  "I'm sorry, I-"

            "So I'm an uncle?" he interrupted, not really hearing her halting apology, and shaking his head slightly as the story finally started sinking in.  Souta sat up a little straighter than before, looking at Kagome with his lips twitching in a smile he thought for sure would crack something if he let it out, "I'm an uncle."  _She was scared and hiding the truth just because she was afraid we'd think less of her?_

            "Technically twice-" Shinju started, choking off when Kagome elbowed him in the stomach.

            "What happened?" Souta reached out and grabbed her hands to try and comfort that fear he could feel coming off her.  "Nee-san… you can tell me everything, I promise I'll understand!"  _This is what she wouldn't talk about… what she wouldn't tell Okaa-san. _

            Kagome took a deep breath, squeezing his hands and glancing up at Shinju for comfort before she closed her eyes and answered, "We weren't sure how much longer it was going to take… Naraku just kept- just kept changing, making more of himself, and figuring out ways to hide from us.  Miroku-sama started to get scared that he wouldn't make it."

            "Because of the curse in his hand," Souta frowned, digging back into what he remembered of her stories to try and fill in the lapses of silence where she was obviously gathering her courage to give him the answers he'd wanted for so long.

            She nodded to show he'd guessed correctly, dropping her gaze down to the steaming tea resting on the low table between them as the suppressed memories flowed freely behind her eyes, "Sango talked him into getting married, all of a sudden.  None of us were expecting it, but we knew why she offered."  Her voice lowered, remembering month after month with the frustrated taijiya, soothing her whenever she tried to blame herself for their lack of success, "They were trying so hard."

            The light suddenly clicked in Souta's head, eyes widening as he reasoned out, "They couldn't have children.  So… you… you were a surrogate."

            Kagome could feel the tears pricking behind her eyes as she let out a heavy sigh, squeezing his fingers tighter, "It was so difficult for them to come to me.  I can only imagine-" she stopped herself when Shinju rested his hand on her shoulder, bringing her back out of unhappier thoughts and helping her get herself back under control.  "I couldn't have said no, Souta, not to something that meant so very much to them."

             "They didn't have clinic and doctors, so our family records show that Kagome was taken as a second wife," Shinju rested his hip on the back of the sofa, drawing Souta's eyes up to his face to give her a sort of privacy for a moment.  "My ancestor was Kazenatsu, the first born son of that marriage."

            Souta stared at his sister with amazement, unable to fully fathom the things she had done and suffered away from everything she had known, and now this.  _She cared about them so much, she had children for them… knowing that she would have to leave them in the past and never see them again when she returned.  But she still did it.  And now, this is the descendant of her son._

"Inuyasha even understood why I did it," Kagome's lips curved up slightly, closing her eyes to let her mind play over how entertained they'd all been by the way he would hover, seeing to her care with all the attention and concern as Sango.  _My paranoid nursemaids… they all thought I was going to get hurt the moment they looked away from me._  "He was the one who spoke to Miroku and Sango about asking me to have another," she looked up at Shinju to tell him more directly, in case he was unaware of that part of his history.

            "Another-?" Souta's brows disappeared under his bangs, mind stuttering to a halt to hear that the hanyou he'd idolized and hoped to have as an older brother someday had been the one to say she should be with another man.  The thought was baffling to him, to say the least, "Why?"

            "Sengoku Jidai was a harsh time to live, Souta," she shrugged as she reminded him.  "Inuyasha _said_ he thought that Sango would fall apart if her only child ever died.  It would be easier for all of them if they had another child to focus on in that eventuality."  _He was talking about all of them though, and we knew it.  Those children were all they would have left of me if the jewel sent me back, and having another baby would mean I had to stay longer._

"What about the jewel?  Your fight with Naraku?" Souta lifted a hand to his head, raking his fingers nervously through his hair and admittedly feeling a bit dizzy at this overload.

            "We kept traveling until it was too hard for me to hide that I was pregnant," Kagome reached back reflexively to touch her stomach.  "Miroku was terrified that Naraku would target me and the baby if he found out, but we started our search again as soon as it was safe to leave Kazenatsu with Kaede-babaa."  _Miroku still didn't want to leave his son after he'd waited so long to have him.  He'd spent most of life doing nothing but hunting Naraku and trying to make an heir.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone so…happy._

"But… how did you have time?" Souta pressed on, inwardly elated that she was speaking so openly, even if he could tell this was still the edited version of events.  _It's a start.  Once she sees that she can trust me with this part of the past, she'll tell me the rest of it._

Kagome smiled faintly at that, remembering how time had seemed to crawl and fly all at once in those days while she answered, "It was hard on all of us.  But I was pregnant again with Kyuuei when we finally _did _track down Naraku.  When we defeated him; I just hadn't told anyone yet.  I knew we were close, and they would have stopped or kept me away if they knew it had taken such a short time, but I had to be there for them in that battle." 

            Shinju's eyes had taken on an avid sparkle of interest at hearing her tell the story he'd been told time and time again, coming around to sit beside her on the couch and leaning in closer like an eager little boy.  It was just so… out of place for a monk with his strength that Souta couldn't help but stare, covering his mouth with a hand at the sudden thought of how the two of them must look to Kagome right now.  Hanging on her every word with big eager eyes, _Then again… he's family, so why wouldn't he act the same as we do from time to time?  This is my- well, I don't know how many "greats" there are, but he's my nephew somehow.  Even if he _is _my age, _he watched Kagome smile and brush Shinju's hair off his forehead with a wistful expression, wondering just how much of a resemblance there really was between the Miroku she remembered and his new instructor.

            "That's why you stayed away?" Souta finally broke the silence surrounding them, putting all these new pieces together in his head.  "Why you never came to tell us what happened?"

            A glint of pain crept into her eyes, dulling the blue as she slowly rose to her feet and prowled restlessly to the picture window of Shinju's living room, "We didn't know if the well would let me come back after we killed Naraku and put the jewel back together."

            Souta glanced over at the monk to see if he understood what she was talking about, not really too surprised to see him nod slightly in answer to the unspoken question before they both stared at the tense line of her back again, "Before you had Kyuuei?"

            Kagome stared unseeing at her own reflection in the glass, absently lifting a hand to press against it and feel the surface warm at her touch, "We rebuilt the taijiya stronghold, and lived there once it was over.  They were… my family, Souta.  We'd all done so much together, things no one else could possibly understand.  And I was afraid if I came through the well that I wouldn't be able to come back; I couldn't risk it until everything was ready."  _We were ready in case the wish went wrong, at least we could say that it wasn't completely unexpected.  And Inuyasha had already messed up with wishing once… _

            "Is that why you were in the well?" he bit his lip, suddenly feeling more anxious himself.  _She didn't want to come back?_

            She leaned her forehead on the glass, "When Inuyasha made his wish-" _his last wish, _"the jewel brought me back.  It was telling me I was supposed to be in this time."  Kagome pushed herself away from the window, turning to look back at the boys staring at her with open inquiry, "My family and my life are here, Souta… in my own time."

            He couldn't stop a slight smile at the determination in her expression, unable to say how he was understanding her emotions, just that for some reason, he could tell what his sister needed to hear to keep her talking, "But your heart is in Sengoku Jidai."

Kagome jumped a bit in surprise at that observation, focusing completely on her little brother before she let out a loud breath and shook her head, "I remember you being less serious and intuitive."

            Souta grinned widely at that and flashed her a victory symbol with his right hand, "If you can change and get all pretty and deep, then I can have my moments of serious intuition.  I _am_ a monk now, after all."

            Shinju's chest puffed up proudly, nodding his agreement to that statement while Kagome pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and started to laugh, "My uncle is correct, Kaa-san, our family is well known for such things."

            "I'm not sure letting the two of you live within thirty feet of each other will be good for my sanity," she couldn't help but tease, leaning her back against the window and giving a full body sigh.  It was cleansing, in a way… telling Souta what happened so long ago and hearing him ask questions and take interest rather than reject her for being a wife and having children for her dearest friends.  Let alone finding out that his new instructor was so closely related to their family, _He… really did grow up while I was gone._

Shinju folded his arms and responded to that with the air of importance that apparently passed down the lines, "It would not be as effective to advanced training if your brother were to be able to go home and ignore the training and meditations at the temple.  You are aware how important immersion is into our energies, Kaa-san, and you had to have expected to find housing."

"Now you're doing it on purpose," Kagome leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling, letting her soul warm and spread cleansing energy out through the house.  "Neither of you are too big to have your heads knocked together for being a smartass, remember that."

Souta had closed his eyes when he felt the warm sweep pass through him, awed at the level of control and power she used so very casually, "Wow…"

He jumped slightly when he felt her hand ruffle his hair affectionately, not expecting the movement, "I need to walk or something after all this or I'll never calm down tonight, Souta.  I'm… jittery."

"Company?" he started to rise, only to have Shinju reach over and push him right back down.

            "Meditations," Shinju scolded in a more commanding voice than they'd previously heard come from him, or really thought he could pull off.  "You want to train to be a monk?  You'll start now."

            "But Kagome-" Souta started to protest.

            "Can handle herself," he glanced over at her, making a shooing motion with his hand and waiting until she'd disappeared back into the front of the house for her jacket until he spoke to Souta again.  "She was very afraid you would be disapproving when she is still struggling with her own loss, Souta.  We'll have plenty of time with her after she re-centers herself."

            He frowned at that, making a sound of frustration as he turned to stare in the direction she'd gone, "She needs family."

            "Balanced with solitude so she can grieve in her own way," Shinju nodded, but reiterated his intentions to keep him from following Kagome on her walk.  "All the family records indicate she was in the past for quite some time.  She was used to quiet and wild times, not people everywhere and buildings…  You can see the pain in her eyes when there are crowds."

            "She's getting better," Souta muttered out grudgingly.  "She doesn't jump as much anymore."

            He nodded, tucking his feet up under him, "Kagome is going to stay in this time from now on.  She knows it, even if some part of her wishes she could go back and visit the ones she left behind.  But consider this, Souta… she always knew she would be returning, she only delayed because she knew it would be the last she saw of my ancestor and her friends."

            Souta's head snapped around to Shinju's stoic face, eyes wide and startled, "How did you-?"

            "The records of my family are immaculate," Shinju replied proudly.  "After the jewel sent her away, she didn't return, and it was passed down through our family to find her again in the future.  It's obvious how deeply your sister cares about you, and she trusts you, or she never would have told you about me or the past."

            There was a long moment of silence, punctuated only by the quiet shuffling of Kagome moving about to get ready for her walk.  Shinju appeared to be completely unaffected, hands clasped loosely in his lap and head bowed forward in a relaxed, meditative pose despite Souta's unwavering stare.  He had to admit it was more than a little disconcerting to see how easily he ignored the vibes hanging thick in the main room of his house, but at the same time, he was still a little overwhelmed at Shinju's ability to turn his emotions on and off like that.

            "Why do you call her 'Kaa-san?'" Souta leaned back against the soft cushions, bracing his arm up on the back as he finally felt comfortable enough to break the quiet.

            "I don't remember my mother," Shinju answered in a subdued voice.  "But I grew up on stories of the miko who made my life possible.  I used to dream… ah, nevermind.  I was a child, and my parents had died in an accident right after I was born.  I don't remember them.  But when I saw Kagome-sama in my temple, I couldn't help but ask.  I'm the first generation in present times to connect with this side of our family, and I… it seemed so natural.  She told me that she didn't mind it."

They lapsed back into their own quiet thoughts, both looking up and standing automatically when Kagome reentered the room and embraced them both before she turned just as quickly to exit, "Behave and do your meditations.  I'll be back before it gets too late."

"Are you sure you don't need us?" Souta tried one last time, taking a step forward and reaching out towards her retreating back.

Kagome paused with one hand on the wall leading to the foyer, her fingers clenching before she let her head fall forward until her chin nearly rested on her chest.  She had to swallow hard to get herself under control before she looked back at them and smiled, "I need you to speak with each other without me here to distract you."

Souta blinked when she was gone in a flash of long hair and the muffled slam of the front door, slowly sitting back down and vaguely aware of Shinju doing the same beside him, "What… did she mean?  Speak to each other?"

Shinju suddenly started to chuckle after he realized they were lapsing back into their own silence again.  He leaned back and propped his chin up on his hand, deciding on the best way to break the ice with his uncle, "Pizza and beer?"

"Your treat."

~*~*~*~

            Yuusuke was starting to worry about Kurama.

            In the month since those two had shown up unannounced on his doorstep and voiced their intentions to stay on for a "vacation," he'd seen the kitsune do little more than date and fight.  That might not have been such a cause for concern if he hadn't seemed to be actually looking forward to hearing of jobs from Koenma that would require certain levels of violence.  Considering Kurama was usually the one who would play his hand with calm precision, the way he was throwing himself into battle was more like Hiei in a temper: eager to race in and tear apart the offending demons with a kind of glee that was disturbing to witness.  Especially after the behavior they'd all come to expect from their non-human partners, it was just downright _weird_ for it to change so inexplicably.

            Yet, every time he tried to take Kurama aside and actually try to speak with him about the change in temperament, Hiei was right there to block the attempt and tell him to mind his own business in as few words as possible.  It had to have something to do with his sudden interest in dating every girl he could stand to lay eyes on, but they were both being completely close-lipped about the entire matter, going so far as to even stop speaking mid-sentence when anyone else came within earshot.  

He vaguely wondered if they thought he was a complete idiot, sighing at the affirmative answer from his own internal voice, _Kurama probably ain't thinking that, but Hiei sure as fuck is._

Yuusuke was half-tempted to simply tell Kurama not to bother making any romantic attempts, considering his own nearly disastrous experiences with Keiko, and she had known all about his "occupation" with Rekai.

Working for Koenma and that realm was practically a death sentence for any personal life, unless you could manage to find a girlfriend who liked –or at least understood- long stretches of alone time.  Then again, anyone who smiled all the way through unexplained absences and abrupt departures would probably have ulterior motives for the relationship in the first place.

So…

Yuusuke sighed, lounging back in the wrought iron chair that Keiko thought added charm to this latest café she just had to try, but was quickly putting him on the road to one hell of a leg cramp.  He wasn't seeing a bright side to that situation for his ridiculously pretty friend on the long term outlook, but at least his looks could get him a casual sex partner now and then to take the edge off.  Not that he'd ever repeat that where Keiko could hear it come out of his mouth, but it had to be better than nothing.

"Would it kill you to at least pretend to be enjoying yourself, Yuusuke?" Keiko punctuated that remark by swatting her fiancé with a menu before looking around the sunlit street to see if the others were close to arriving.  "It isn't often we get to have time to ourselves, so why can't you just admit Kurabara would never let anything happen to the boys and relax?"

"I know he wouldn't," Yuusuke winced and rubbed his cheek as he readjusted in the uncomfortable chair and followed her search, adding his own deeper senses to reach out in a wider radius. 

Her annoyance changed to understanding in a heartbeat, and she reached out to clasp his hand before he tapped a hole in the table, "Kurama?  Look, Yuusuke, he's probably just lonely.  Even if he _is_ supposed to be some great thief, he's still been living a human life for a while now.  Maybe it's getting him down."

Yuusuke made a face at the remarks, threading his fingers through hers and settling back into the least annoying position to watch the humans and peaceful demons bustling about their weekend lives, "It's still creepy that you can do that, and don't give me that 'woman's intuition' crap, cause I ain't buying it."  After that, however, his expression softened and he admitted, "But for his sake, I hope not.  Can you imagine how hard it would be to find a girl to put up with… well, everything?"

"Can't imagine," Keiko rolled her eyes and promptly kicked him under the table.  "Hello?  Aren't I proof that it's possible to make it work out?  I don't have any powers or anything, and I can still be understanding!"

"We've known each other since we were kids though, Keiko, it just ain't the same," he scowled at her and rubbed his abused shin awkwardly with his free hand when she refused to let go of the other.  "You put up with me before, and you were already all attached when it started to get weird."

"That's putting it lightly," she muttered under her breath, but giggled at the sour look that earned her.

"Anyhow," he drawled out to make sure she was finished before continuing, "Kurama would have to start from scratch.  He never really kept any childhood friends, and he doesn't have much in common with his family except for the loyalty he has for his mother.  Most girls would drop him after the first couple of disappearing acts he pulled when Botan does the poofing in thing and hauls us up to Koenma."

Keiko felt herself frown slightly, "You really are worried about him."

"Well, shit, Keiko, think about it," he gestured expansively with one hand, still keeping his voice low to avoid drawing any unwelcome attention to the less than normal discussion.  "On top of that, he's got to find someone who won't mind that he'll always be the pretty one in the couple and always will be thanks to Youko-" he broke off, face going blank before he sighed and shook his head.  "I forgot all about that.  Another thing that'll make it hard for him is Youko."

"What about Youko?" Keiko's brow furrowed in confusion, trying to unobtrusively prod him into revealing more about the kitsune spirit she had yet to truly see for herself.  It might be a serious topic about a man she considered to be a close friend, but she still couldn't help the curiosity.

"If he doesn't like her, he'll make Kurama's life hell until they get rid of her and move on," he explained, mentally crossing his fingers in case he was calling Youko all wrong.  "From what little Kurama will talk about him, and what I saw, he can be a real bastard about things not going his way."

"Oh," she looked down at their joined hands, feeling sorry for their troubled friend for the first time… really ever.  He was adored for those looks wherever he was, smart, stable; there really wasn't anything about him that she could say was bad, but she had the impression he was more polite in his human persona, "I never really thought it would be so hard for him."

Whatever Yuusuke would have said in response to that was forgotten when a light flashed not two feet from his face, momentarily blinding them both and sending the volatile man into a fit of blistering curses.  He was just starting to stand, intending to quickly and quietly murder whomever was responsible when a Polaroid was slapped down on he table, and a disturbingly perky male voice chimed in, "Freebie!  Sorry 'bout that, but I just couldn't resist a cute shot like that, you know?"

Yuusuke paused enough to rub at his eyes, Keiko's hand on his arm holding him back before he could go after the younger man currently whistling and spinning an expensive looking camera on his forefinger by the strap as he walked away, "The fuck-?!"

"Hang on, Yuusuke, don't hurt him," she chided quietly, glancing from the retreating back down to the developing photograph.  She might not appreciate the surprise, but at the same time, she was willing to forestall judgment until she saw the product.  She had to squeeze his arm again once more before the image finally faded into view, making her eyes widen and her lips curl in an unconscious smile, "Don't hurt him."

He scowled at that and blinked again, rubbing at his eyes and bending down to see the photo, "Why not?  It's just a snapshot, and we don't even know that little punk!"

Keiko made an impatient sound and smacked him on the shoulder hard, "Because it's beautiful!  I never get decent pictures of you, let alone you and me together," she scolded him, tracing a finger down the squared edge.  Whoever that "punk" was, he'd managed to angle them both into the shot during a moment where Yuusuke's eyes had been soft, attention on their clasped hands while she smiled at him.  "I never thought I'd manage to get a picture of you like this," she elaborated when he continued to look annoyed.

Yuusuke finally sighed and stopped trying to pull away from her, sitting down and glumly admitting to himself that the photograph definitely looked professional, "I'll be damned- hey, wait!  Sonofa_bitch_, that's the same kid on skates from that day!  Takashima or something that guy called him!"

"The investigator?" Keiko's brows lifted in surprise, turning to look at him once more before he turned a corner and disappeared from their sight.  "Are you sure?"

"He's not exactly the type to blend in, Keiko," Yuusuke grumbled out, wavering between irritation at her lack of confidence in his observation, and disbelief at her lack of recognition.  It had been a more memorable afternoon thanks to that kid, after all, "Besides, I recognize the weird vibe he gives off, I was just busy with the whole being blind thing."

She shrugged, still admiring her picture, "I just thought he wanted to look like a model.  Or maybe a rock star," she tapped a finger to her chin as she mulled that over.

"Rock star?!" Yuusuke was on his feet the second that dreamy note entered her voice, pointing angrily in the direction Takashima had gone, "That little cocky punk?!"

She giggled again and tried to wave it off, getting him to sit back down as the arguing sounds blended into the background noise to the cause of their heated debate where he stood in a shielded alley.  His phone was giving off that muffled trill as he waited for the other end to pick up, regarding his camera with no small amount of pride.

"And?" the voice on the other end inquired with a note of impatience.

"I told you to leave it to me," Takashima rolled his eyes, leaning back against the bricks and watching people walk past on the street.  "Although, I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that you were right… again.  She's perfectly normal human, but he's got the glow of a first-level brat, one of the Rekai employees.  You can examine that little aura to your heart's content once I get this developed."

"Your lack of manners is still obnoxious."

"Isn't it though?  Maybe this'll teach you to separate a kid from his only family," he chuckled richly and raked a hand through his hair to make sure his style hadn't gone flat.  "I just might settle down if you give me back my sister."

"Stop being dramatic about events I had no control over," the tone of voice never changed, but he'd been with his boss long enough to know he was teetering on the dangerous edge of seriously irritating him.  "I've kept you alive until now, and she'll be the first to agree that such a feat would have been impossible for a lesser youkai."

"Probably true," Takashima readily agreed just to walk that edge a little more.

"You still aren't finished, Takashima, or are you going to tell me you can't get imaging on those two demons?" he taunted with just the right note of disdain to get his best investigator bristling.

"You'll have them by the end of the week," he assured him, all wounded pride and stiff determination.  "I'm no amateur, dammit, you know that!"

"I'll hold you to your deadline," he gave no indication that he intended to acknowledge the latter statement.  "You know how I hate loose ends, and those two looked like the sort to cause trouble."

"You realize you're sounding like the pot at the moment," Takashima pointed out, smirking at the answering growl as he stepped back out into the foot traffic, narrowly missing bumping into a girl and two teenagers as he mentally started to plot out how to accomplish his task.  He murmured half-hearted apologies, eyes on the sky as he wandered off down the street, "You think he's mentioned you?"

"I highly doubt it," he snorted at the thought.  "That thug I let you hire is proof of that, unless he is just abnormally oblivious to the fact that he's working for Rekai _and_ me."

"I guess we'll just wait and see," Takashima sighed with mock gravity.  "End of the week."

"If you're late, I'll make you wait another month to see your sister, Takashima," the voice warned sharply.  "And you know my threats are never idle."

"You're a cruel bastard, Big Dog."

"I have never been anything less," he retorted with lofty nonchalance.

~*~*~*~

Kagome frowned and apologized to the girl she'd accidentally shoved into when the young man fully absorbed in his phone had materialized from beside her and forced her to side step or be run down.  The couple behind her had not been so light on their feet, momentarily causing an awkward scene before apologies were made and he continued away without another word.

_That youkai again… is this an area they control then?  Like a pack or something?_ she stepped out of the way to give herself time to more leisurely observe him, one hand coming to rest on her hip in an unconscious habit.  _He's at ease here, not guarding, so it has to be friendly territory._

She had just turned to start walking again when _she_ almost became the cause for an identical scene, barely missing stepping right into a girl hanging onto the arm of a rather harassed looking man with the most unique head of hair she'd ever seen.  Kagome had opened her mouth to apologize when her attention was caught and held by a flash of youki, encouraging her to draw away from the pair before whichever one of them was giving off the feeling could get a decent look at her, _Yeah, that'd be great, Kagome… one walk alone and you get accosted by a future youkai.  If Sesshoumaru is alive, he'd skin you for doing something that stupid._

The new move, however, backed her into a solid, overly warm object that immediately turned to face her with a shocked look in his vivid, claret eyes.  Kagome took an unconscious step back, her mind already shifting back into defensive mode while she struggled to separate the youki into individual pulses, _Shit!  There were two youkai!_  She reigned in the heat that longed to pour out of her soul, call to the forces it felt so close; instead forcing herself to bow politely and avert her face as she murmured, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to run into you.  Excuse me."

Hiei's brow furrowed, distracted from his fun at Kurama's expense as he started to reach out, only to find the girl had strangely seemed to vanish amongst the humans pressing in around them, _That was… strange._

_What was strange? _Kurama's response to the broad thought was ragged, hovering at the edge of patience as he wracked his brain for the fastest way to end this "date."

_That human,_ he scowled into the people, getting more irritated by his failure to pinpoint the one.  _I didn't feel her.  It was like she didn't give off any aura at all._

_A ghost? _he latched onto that, already trying to disengage the stubborn girl's hand.  She was a little too enthusiastic about the grabbing thing to sit well with either Youko or himself.

_No,_ Hiei shook his head.  _She was solid, and she gave off body heat.  I've never felt something empty like that._

_'Magic,' _Youko purred in satisfaction, bored to death with human dating and more than ready to focus on something new.  '_I could think of a few-'_

_Not now,_ Kurama cut him off, sensing a long list of possibilities from his other side.  _We're meeting with Yuusuke and Keiko for dinner, remember?_

_'Fuck that.  This would be more fun.'_

_ I've already lost her, Kurama, it'd be pointless right now,_ Hiei sounded none to pleased with that, his eyes still darting from person to person in his attempt to locate that empty aura and getting more frustrated when he failed to do so.  _Too many damn humans._

_'Well shit.'_

_We have more than enough to do without adding in a new puzzle, Youko,_ Kurama finally managed to get his arm back, crisply telling the young woman that he was going to have to cut their evening short.  _That youkai and the baby thing… We're stretched thin enough._

_'Bullshit,' _Youko snorted in disgust.  '_There are never too many puzzles.  You're just getting too wrapped up in the annoying one.'_

_I am not in the mood right now, _Kurama forced himself to smile politely in the face of her vocal displeasure, assuring her he would call again despite Youko's remarks that he'd already made a mental note to forget.  _Whatever the hell it was, Hiei, forget it, and let's get away from this one before she makes a scene.  We can come back later when the humans are gone._

"Hn," Hiei was already using a slight "push" on the girl to keep her from following, but he was still letting himself get too wrapped up in that unique experience of being accidentally bumped.  _Tonight, fox.  I don't like knowing there might be a thing out there we can't feel._

_You were probably just too focused on making me miserable, _he brushed it off, gripping the shorter youkai by the arm and hauling him off towards the restaurant.  _It wouldn't be the first time._

_Or the last._

_Go fuck yourself, Hiei._


	6. Undeniable forces

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Ah the joys of relentlessly screwing with fictional characters…  LOL, truly the purest form of stress relief.  But anyhow, I have to thank all you guys who've taken the time to email and review, you've been fabulous in adding to my enjoyment with writing this out.  I'm delighted to give you a distraction from studying (*wink*) or just a good way to kill some time, and it's tons of fun to hear what you think of it.  Don't worry, they'll meet up soon enough.  ^___~  Enjoy!

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Undeniable Forces ~

            ~_"What are you doing out here by yourself, Kagome?" Inuyasha's hand came down on her shoulder, squeezing lightly to draw her eyes up to his face in the bright moonlight.  "Can't you sleep?  Is it kicking too hard?" he crouched down and slid his hand down to her rounded stomach._

_            Kagome giggled, covering his hand and shaking her head as she stretched out her aching back, "No, he's not kicking too hard.  I just wanted to look at the stars, Inuyasha."  She smiled and patted the grass beside her, "Join me?"_

_            He snorted at her, but still smiled and sat down with companionable ease, wrapping his arm loosely around her shoulder and letting her rest her head on his shoulder, "I don't see why you're so sure it's a boy."_

_            "Miroku-sama doesn't seem the type to make a girl just yet," she grinned and looked back at the hut where she could hear their friends getting into a lively argument over dinner.  "He'd make another perverted little boy just to piss Sango-chan off… but she'll love him just as much as she loves Miroku-sama."_

_            Inuyasha made a noncommittal sound, inwardly delighted that no matter how often he wanted to do it, or even that he wasn't the father, Kagome let him feel and listen and hover to his heart's content.  She knew him better than anyone, encouraging him to satisfy the curiosity he hadn't even known he had until the first time he'd felt the heartbeat of the baby.  He couldn't forget the look on Sango and Miroku's faces when he'd told them all what he could feel, their delighted cries and the uncharacteristic hugs they'd treated him to for being the bearer of good news._

_            Kagome had always been the first one he felt safe enough to ask questions to, not that he made a habit of it, but still, he knew the option was there.  She never made him feel like an idiot for not knowing the things that others seemed to have come to them so naturally, "They couldn't have picked someone who would be a better mother than you."_

_            Her eyes widened, sitting up and staring at Inuyasha in amazement at the quiet declaration, "Inuyasha?"_

_            His shoulders hunched, the most physical giveaway that he was feeling uncomfortable why his gaze slanted off to the side and he tried to cover up that softer tone, "Well, you take care of Shippou and you haven't killed him, if that doesn't mean you've got the patience to be a breeder, I don't know what does!"_

_            Kagome blinked and started to giggle at that, shaking her head as she reached up and tugged on his ear, "Baka.  Shippou-chan's easy to take care of… It's just like taking care of Souta back when he was a kid, just on a permanent sugar-high.  And you know he tries to be helpful."_

_            "Keh," Inuyasha folded his arms, but only held that for so long before he was reaching out to brush her hair out of her eyes.  "Did you eat?  And you're due for that tea shit Miroku makes you drink before you go to sleep."_

_            The giggle turned into a full on laugh as Kagome rose up on her knees and wrapped her arms around the flustered hanyou's neck, "Inuyasha, you know there is not a chance in hell that I'd miss a meal or those herbs with the way all of you have turned into such little watchdogs.  No pun intended," she winked at him when he growled._

_            He turned up his nose and tried to look bored, but his hand was already finding its way back down to her stomach, lips curving when he felt the light thunk against his hand, "That feels so weird."_

_            "You aren't feeling it from the inside," she smiled at the unguarded amazement on his face, lifting her hand to cover his.  "He always starts kicking when you're around, I think he likes you."_

_            "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," he snorted, but the gleam in his eyes and that little smirk on his face showed how much he liked that idea.  "He's telling you to stop sitting in the cold and get inside for dinner before Sango gets worried."_

_            "He is not," she pouted, but didn't protest when he stood and bent over to hook his hands under her arms and lift her to her feet.  "He likes being outside where I can smell the woods and the night."_

_            "You're talking like a youkai, bitch," Inuyasha ruffled her hair to take the sting out of what she still saw as something of an insult.  "You can't smell something like the night with human senses-" his voice had trailed off, subdued as his fingertip reached the warmer patch of skin that indicated where the jewel had ripped out of her.  "I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking."_

_            "Don't apologize, Inuyasha, we've talked it to death, haven't we?" Kagome reached up and cupped his cheek, giving him a warm smile to comfort the guilt in his eyes.  "You didn't even realize that wishing on so few pieces would do anything.  None of us did, and I'm fine, all right?  Perfectly healthy," her stomach picked that moment to growl loudly, making her smile take on a rueful edge.  "Perfectly healthy, very pregnant, and suddenly starving," she amended._

_            Inuyasha chuckled, shaking his head as he tucked her under his shoulder to walk her back to Kaede's hut, ready to keep her steady in case her balance failed her, "Kaede-babaa says it's normal, but if you don't have that baby soon, you might get too big for even me to carry."_

_            She elbowed him in the stomach, "The day I get too heavy for you is the day I hear Sesshoumaru-sama singing show tunes."_

_            "That would probably be more entertaining if I knew what a show tune was," he grumbled, pressing his hand supportively to the small of her back to help her up to the door.  "And if you'd picked someone other than my fucking brother."_

_            "He's gone a whole year without trying to kill you, Inuyasha, that should show that he's trying to be a less openly violent person," Kagome scolded._

_            "Openly violent, no," he snorted.  "He's just dying to get his grubby hand on the rest of your books, and figured out that he gets more out of you when he's being diplomatic.  He told me that you're the strangest human he's ever seen."_

_            "Now that was just mean, you're the reason he only has one hand," she tried to stop the telltale twitch of her lips. _

_            "It'll grow back eventually, they always do," he shrugged carelessly.  "An he deserved it, or are you forgetting the whole punching into my eye?  Biting me when he was in his big fluffy shape?  Hell, Kagome, trying to kill you?"_

_            "You're the last person who should be telling me to hold a grudge just because a youkai tried to kill me at first meeting," she slanted him a pointed look and poked him in the chest.  "Or are we forgetting that's the thanks I got for getting you down from the tree?"_

_            "I saved your life!" he sputtered to protest, but blushed at his inability to deny that truth._

_            "And turned right around to try and kill me," she turned up her nose as she pushed the hanging mat aside to re-enter the hut.  "Face it, Inuyasha, if I decided to hate everyone who tried to kill me the first time they met me, I wouldn't have very many friends in this time, now would I?"_

_            Inuyasha stuffed his hands up into his sleeves and followed her inside, still trying to get her to stop being so polite about Sesshoumaru's increasing visits and questions, "He called you a lousy miko."_

_            "Because I don't kill demons indiscriminately, and for this time, that's a damn miracle," Kagome rolled her eyes.  "Now stop puffing up just because I can be civil to both of you."_

_            He crossed his legs and sat down, ignoring the amused looks from the human occupants, tossing his head to get his hair settling out on the floorboards before he managed to sit on it, "Keh."_

_            Kagome smiled at him when she saw him crack one eye open to watch her sit, body tense and ready if she needed him to help maneuver around her altered center of balance.  One hand lifted to cover her mouth and hide her smile, making a motion with her other to assure him she was fine while Sango fussed and helped her down anyway, yelling at Miroku to bring her that tea they had her drinking every night._

_            She sat back with a sigh, shifting to let Shippou scale up her stomach and lie on it, one ear pressed resting where he could listen while her friends continued to lecture in the usual routine, _If only it could always be this way.  This peaceful…~

~*~*~*~

            Kagome jolted back to the present with a bit of a start when she felt a chill skate down her spine, blinking to reorient herself and looking up at the inky darkness of the moonless sky, "Damn…"  _So much for not being out late,_ she winced and stretched her back until she felt the kinks pop and ease, but rather than stand, she leaned back and braced her weight on her hands to stare up at the sky.

            One thing she knew she would never be able to adjust to about the future, the way the lights and the pollution blocked the stars at night, so that even when she managed to find a small park and pretend she was back in the forests of Sengoku Jidai, she was denied that simple pleasure.  Even with the new moon, there should have been stars that she could look to and remember the way she and Inuyasha would stay up late to talk on those nights.  It had been their own little ritual, a way to try and relieve a month's worth of frustration and stress, or just to know that there was always an understanding ear.

            Kagome closed her eyes against the pang of loss that went through her, breathing in to taste the air and the night around her the way he'd taught her to, _I'm sorry I couldn't stay beside you the way I promised I would, Inuyasha._

It was another reluctant moment before she rose to her feet, this time rising her arms up over her head to elongate her spine and feel her magic curl up through her, warming her down to her toes and leaving her energized and hypersensitive to the auras all around for the first time since she'd returned.  It wouldn't do to keep hiding behind her memories if she ever wanted to have a normal life, so first things first.  Time to reorient her senses to the way it felt in his time, the way youkai felt.

            Her eyes were glittering in the darkness, blinking back and forth from blue to pink and back as she turned to look back at the buildings rising above the trees; their darker shapes blocking the sky and making her imagination run wild with memories of past enemies.  She took a deep breath in, surprised at how many of them she could feel moving through the city tonight, purposeful and quiet in their efforts to hide themselves from normal humans as they carried on with the other side of their lives in the silky darkness.

            A smirk twisted her lips as she made a quick motion with one hand to wrap the illusion of shadows around herself for the walk home, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her coat as she went, _I never thought I'd feel youkai this strong in the future… But I'm sure I'll have a chance soon to feel them out.  See what they are…_  

            Kagome reached up and let her fingertips brush longingly against the leaves of a tree as she left the façade of the park and returned to the unfeeling concrete, forcing her eyes to stay a natural shade and double-checking her aura to be sure she wasn't attracting the wrong attention.  She giggled suddenly as a thought struck her, shaking her head as she paused to wait out a traffic light, _I wonder how many of those pretty people I've seen are kitsune?_

She shook her head, glancing to her side at the gathered people waiting in front of newer restaurant, probably for a taxi or something if the raised voices were any indication, she thought with a snort.  She had just turned to start forward when she was practically blinded by a flash of light, hissing and jumping back as she covered her eyes with her hand, "What the _fuck!?_"

            "Aw, don't be like that, cutie, it was just a little picture," she felt a hand pat her on the shoulder, freezing when she recognized the thrum of youki that shot down her spine.  He leaned down and murmured privately in her ear, "You surprised me, so sorry if I scared you… but I couldn't stop myself once I saw your face.  But now I've got a job I have to do, no matter how much I wish I could stay and chat with.  Believe me…"

            Kagome blinked furiously, trying to get a clear look at the youkai speaking so familiarly to her, but by the time her sight cleared, she was looking at empty sidewalk and concerned faces.  She assured them she was fine, frowning in confusion, but moving with the rest of them when the light changed to start home.  Still… she kept frowning over her shoulder, absolutely certain she'd heard that voice somewhere before, but unable to place it.

            _A youkai I recognize, who recognizes me enough to take a picture… Dammit!  Is it someone I didn't realize was a youkai, or someone who lived this long!?_ her hands clenched from the effort it took not to do a search, but without knowing the area, that'd be more risk than she could afford right now.

            Kagome looked back one more time before she cursed under her breath and turned away.  Souta and Shinju were probably worried enough without her taking more time to stay and investigate, but that didn't stop her from starting to plan.

            _I survived Sengoku Jidai and Naraku… I didn't do that just to get myself killed in my own time_.

~*~*~*~

            Takashima swung his foot back and forth lazily as he looked down at the group still talking over coffee and tea at the patio table across the street and a few stories down from his windowsill perch.  He chewed absently on one nail, cerulean eyes moving from one youkai to the other as he tried to figure out just what in the world a 'heaven-servant' would have to do with two obviously third-level naturals.  He could feel their auras from here, reaching into his coat momentarily to pat the necklace that would continue to hide him from their senses.  Not that he didn't mind a good fight as much as the next person, but he was still on probation with his boss from the last incident, and _that_ memory brought a wince to his face as he recalled his punishment.

            Sighing, he lifted his camera and smiled at it for a moment before he positioned his shot and waited for them to position themselves in the best way.  This was definitely a roll he was looking forward to developing, if only for the image of that face he'd last seen so very long ago.

            _Kagome,_ he clicked off his first shot distractedly, gaze sliding down the street to where he'd seen her turn a corner and disappear.  He was actually irritated with himself for his reaction, knowing he'd likely just put her on edge or scared her, and after so fucking long to prepare for the first time he saw her again.  His mind had gone blank and just as quickly started racing, threatening to make his head burst from the sudden rush of emotion that had gone through him. 

            And like a total idiot, the only thing he could think to do was lift his camera and blind her before she got a good look at him.

            He made a disgusted face, automatically clicking off more shots of the two as they seemed to get in a silent argument with each other if the way their eyes were clashing was any indication.  He knew he should have been looking for the empty place in the heat around him, _knew_ he should have been more careful now that they had been alerted by Shinju that she and her little brother had moved into his residence.  But the earlier threat about being restricted had sent him into a funk within his own memories, and he'd almost made a horrible mistake.

            Takashima shook himself out of those thoughts, forcing himself to focus back on the task at hand and the two youkai meeting with the Urameshis below him.  That had been luck, karmic restitution for how hard it had been lately in his opinion.  He'd really just been going the back the way he'd come, planning to search their house for traces when he'd realized they were right under his nose.

            _That one has to be a kitsune doing the human face thing, _he wrinkled his nose as he took the camera away from his eyes and scowled down at the blood-red hair of that overly attractive man.  Not that his disguise was flawed or anything, it was just that no matter how hard they tried, a real pure-line kitsune just couldn't make themselves look average.  That and the faint drawing sensation that surrounded him, pulling in to "feed" off the life energy around him, _He's hasn't been in his element a little too long if it's that obvious._

            He cocked his head to one side, training his ears on the table and frowning as he filtered out the unnecessary noise to eavesdrop more effectively, "What are you doing in our lands, Red?  Be a doll and start talking."

~*~*~*~

            "Really?  The same investigator?" Kurama lifted the photograph and turned it, annoyed at the perfectly normal feel to it.  _I was hoping there would be something obvious._

_            'Don't be lazy,' _Youko scolded, just as curious and giving off every impression that he was more than happy to have the distraction.  _'It's more fun this way!  More of a challenge if there's more depth to the puzzle, you know.'_

            "What did he want with you?" Hiei reached over and took the picture away while Youko and Kurama had a mini argument in their head.

            "Said it was just a shot he couldn't resist," Yuusuke made a face and drummed his fingers impatiently on the table as he waited for Keiko's return.  "Are you two going to tell me why you had a sudden urge to speak with Kurabara, or is this just another event to chalk up to totally fucked up behavior?"

            Kurama finally got Youko to settle down, propping his elbows on the table to rest his chin on the backs of his hands, "You _are _aware that the man your sons wave to at the fence is a youkai, aren't you?  Takeharuka-san?"

            Yuusuke's eyebrow kicked up, "Kurabara's boss?  You've both lost it.  I actually shook his hand once, didn't get so much as a hiccup in the senses."

            "That man was definitely not human," Hiei shook his head, giving the picture back to Kurama and frowning at the denial, and even more at the fact that he knew Yuusuke was telling the truth as he saw it.  "We only saw him a moment through the window of his car, but that was more than enough."

            He leaned back, trying to get comfortable in the chair again as he contemplated Hiei's insistence, "You sure it was him?  Maybe a youkai possessed him… or they're trying to take his place.  He's a powerful man, not just here but internationally."

            Kurama frowned, reaching for his tea and taking a sip as he mulled that over with Youko, "That would make sense, I suppose, but why wouldn't we have heard from Koenma to handle it?"

            "Maybe he's behind in his paperwork," Yuusuke shrugged.  "Hell, I don't know.  It took them long enough to put the damn team together and that was when they were practically desperate for our 'services,'" he rolled his eyes at the memory.  "Little things like that could slip through the cracks so long as the youkai wasn't violent."

            Hiei blinked and shared a look with Kurama for a moment, _He's right about that, but still… for all I can't stand his ass, Kurabara should have felt something suspicious._

"Kurabara has said nothing about this?" Kurama vocalized that for Hiei, well aware of his friend's habit of balking whenever that particular human was brought into the conversation.

            Yuusuke shook his head, "Not a peep… although I think Takeharuka may have been away for a while, it's possible he hasn't seen him."

            Kurama made a faint sound of consideration, tracing his fingertip around the rim of his teacup and distractedly glancing around the tables to see if there were any acceptable girls in the surrounding faces, "If he can sense that others will know what he is, perhaps he's keeping a low profile… but then again, he was definitely direct to Hiei and myself when he noticed us."

            "He knew what we were too," Hiei offered, his own attention alert to anything that could possibly give him more about that girl he couldn't sense, frowning abruptly when a thought occurred to him.  _Oi… Kurama.  What if it's the same as that human girl?  If there's something here in this city we don't know about that hides living auras, it could be a problem for us.  Powerful youkai like that running loose, and not giving off anything that can be found by the senses of others?_

Kurama's brows shot up, snapping around to stare at Hiei in alarm at the thought of that, "He'd be impossible to track."

            "Whoa, back up!" Yuusuke scowled at them irritably.  "You're forgetting us mere mortals can't tap in the way you two can.  What do you two know?"

            Hiei scowled, folding his arms and sitting back, eyes closed to show that this was Kurama's to explain, _Tell him if you want, I'm not going to repeat myself._

Kurama rolled his eyes, "Hiei ran into a living ghost on the street on our way here.  He said he couldn't sense any aura from her at all, just an empty spot, and now with this youkai…"

            "They could be connected," Yuusuke frowned sharply.

            _'Don't you love how humans grow up and get more effective?' _Youko teased from the safety of their mind, not particularly in the mood to get in a brawl with their 'leader' when there were so many more things to focus on right now.  _'When he was younger, he would have missed that.'_

_            Are you done?  Good gods, you're in a mood today, _Kurama rubbed a hand over his eyes.

            _'We just got all these lovely little pieces to what has to be a great big puzzle, and we're still sitting at this table talking about it,' _Youko shrugged and grumbled, definitely pouting as he passed along his restlessness.  _'We need to be doing something, Kurama, and if you're not going to let us go play in the woods, I want it to be figuring out all this!'_

            _Be patient,_ he ordered firmly, nodding to Yuusuke when he noticed he was still staring at him with the question in his eyes.  "Either that or there are too many coincidences to let this slide," he pointed out.  "Perhaps there has been an upset in the elements or magics beneath the city."

            _'We could check it out-'_

_            Not now!_

_            'Why not?'_

Kurama almost growled, eyes flashing for a moment with the sudden clash of egos until he managed to get his control back, _Later.  _"Then there was the fact that the man the investigator was running away from was a youkai as well," he added, ignoring the rants from Youko.  "How did you not notice so many of them in such a small area?" he frowned at Yuusuke.

            Yuusuke shrugged and leaned back until the front legs of his chair came off the ground, "We ain't been home much lately, remember?  But if you're thinking there's this problem of 'empty' people, why wouldn't they all be using it?"

            _'Good point,'_ Hiei rose to his feet and started walking away.  "Speak with Kurabara, Yuusuke.  Find out what he knows and then go talk to Koenma."

            "Oi, where do you get off ordering me around?" just as quickly, the legs slapped back down on the concrete and he was standing as well, one hand on the table and the other raised in a fist.

            Hiei glanced back at him, one eyebrow kicking up, "Those were requests.  I thought you would want to know what was going on as much as we do."

            Kurama sighed when it looked like that short temper of Yuusuke's was about to let go, reaching over to grip his fist and pass along a warning glare to remind him that they were in public, "Hiei and I will return tonight after we've had a chance to look around where he saw her, Yuusuke."

            Yuusuke still looked like he wanted to yell, but instead he blew out an irritated huff and set his hands on his hips, "I'll wait up.  This could be bad, so we need to figure out what the hell's going on as soon as possible."

            Kurama nodded and left his not-entirely-willing host at the table to pay the bill, catching up with Hiei as he walked across the street without a single care for the lack of traffic signs, _Hiei, are you sure it couldn't have been a ghost?_

_            Too warm._

_            'Maybe if you hadn't been hanging onto that obnoxious female, we could have seen her too,' _Youko muttered irritably, only mildly assuaged by the fact that they were indeed up and moving.

            _And maybe if you stopped being such a prick about it, we'd be done by now,_ Kurama shot back, feeling the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up, either from something around them or just the fact that he was finally reaching the end of his rope.

            _If you're both done, _Hiei turned a flat look up at him before he stopped, frowning and looking up even higher.

            "What is it?" Kurama's brows drew together, following his line of sight to the darkened office building and up to the sky, trying to see whatever had disturbed the shorter man.  "What do you see?"

            Hiei shook his head, staring for a moment more before he snorted and began to retrace their steps from that afternoon, "I thought I saw someone sitting outside one of the windows."  _But I didn't feel anything._

He didn't have to vocalize his next thought with that observation, making Kurama scowl up at the building as well, _Was it the same or was it really nothing?_

_            'The air feels wrong, Kurama,'_ Youko's voice had turned completely serious, not liking this uncertainty any more than them.  _'Let's figure this out quickly.'_

Kurama nodded, pressing his hand against the building to try and feel for anything that might give away what was happening before he stepped back in disgust and trailed after Hiei, _Before it gets beyond our control._

~*~*~*~

            Takashima had the phone to his ear yet again, perched on the edge of the roof and peering down at the youkai walking away from his position, "I have to hand it to you, when you shake things up, Big Dog, you always make everything go crazy.  But you were still right again."

            "You have the images I want, then?" he ignored that observation the way he ignored all the others.

            "Right here," he looked down at his camera, tapping a finger against the side in satisfaction.  "Congratulations, we have a kitsune and a… a something."

            "A something?" he repeated.

            "He doesn't read clearly," Takashima shrugged, unable to explain it any clearer than that.  "Probably means he's a mix of something, or he has a curse… you know, that kind of jumble.  If you want to know, you're going to have to pick up Kagome and get her to take a look."

            "You have been sneaking her into the conversation whenever you could since you heard that she was alive and well," he snorted in annoyance.  "I am not about to shock her to death by appearing before she is prepared for us just because there's a few upstart youkai that I can't immediately feel out."

            "Worth a shot though," Takashima sighed unhappily, sprawling out on his back to look up at the sky.  "The impression I get is they work with Urameshi for Rekai.  You think Koenma decided to try the whole use a thief to catch a thief thing?"

            "It took him long enough to try if that's the case," he could practically hear the eyes rolling through the phone.  "So… a kitsune and a something are in my town unannounced and poking around for the Rekai?"

            "Looks like."

            Silence, and then a heavy sigh, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had a hand in this…  But I don't have any other choice.  After you've delivered the images, I want you to keep watch over Kagome.  We can't have them accidentally finding out who she is to us."

            Takashima's grin was wide enough it should have by all rights split his face, "You can count on me!"

            "Don't let her see you."

            And just as quickly turned to indignation, "What?!  Why not!?"

            "She needs time to resettle herself to the feel of us, and I have not felt her do that enough yet," he responded matter-of-factly.  "And I do not have the desire to hunt her down and pull her out someone just because they felt warm and she was confused."

            Takashima frowned, but reluctantly agreed, "All right… but if she's in trouble, or I see someone trying to get on her good side, I'm stepping in."

            "Don't do anything stupid, Takashima," he snorted.

            "When have I ever?" he hurried and disconnected the call before his boss could answer.


	7. Lines in the Sand

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Okay… I have to give out a warning to anyone who happens to know Ookami-chan and her stories, that I've wheedled a bit of future info on Turnabout out of her, and I'm branching off a few ideas that she told me about.  Basically, if you don't want a couple spoilers to the end of her stuff, you may want to skip this.  But she gave me the express permission to use it however I saw fit.  So, I'm going to have to thank her for being so great and sweet about sharing the idea and allowing me to use it.

To the rest of my reviewers, you guys are lovely, and thanks for all those sweet things you've said about my fun little fic.  I'm glad you guys are enjoying reading it, and hopefully the rest of it is just as fun for you to read.  Kazusa's probably going to kill me before I'm done, so we'll see.  *cheeky grin*  Really though, you guys are wonderful, and thank you for taking the time to give me your opinions.  *^_____^*

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Lines in the Sand ~

            "Sorry, guys, but I'm telling the truth," Kurabara took one hand out of his pocket to reach for his cigarettes, saluting Hiei and Kurama when they both took a step away from what they already knew would be an overpowering scent when he shook one loose.  "Takeharuka-sama is a real hardass, but he's felt completely human to me every time I've been anywhere near him.  There _are _a few youkai in the complex, but they try to keep a low profile.  No fights, no nothing," he blew out a long drag and shrugged.

            "We saw him ourselves," Kurama shook his head, putting a restraining hand on Hiei's shoulder when he saw the way his friend was eyeing the hand holding the cigarette.  "Whoever was in that car wanted us to see that he was a youkai and that he knew we were too."

            "You're sure he was showing off?" Kurabara leaned back against the smooth metal of his building, pushing his sunglasses up to a better rest on his nose before he glanced up the perfectly flat, reflective windows to the blue sky.  "That's not his style…  Why do you think he's got guys like me employed?"

            "Hired muscle?" Hiei looked away, curling his lip in disgust and searching the faces and minds of the humans around him almost as badly as Kurama, albeit for a different reason.  "Good to know you managed to find a job where thinking wasn't listed as a requirement."

            "Say what you want, Hiei, but I'm paid enough to take that kind of trash-talking and smile about it," he grinned widely to prove that statement, stroking one hand down the front of his tailored suit.  "Takeharuka's the top of the chain in a lot of circles, and he takes his business pretty damn seriously.  He doesn't associate much outside what he has to do though."

            _Does it bother you as much as it bothers me to see him speaking so… so…_

_            'Eloquently?' _Youko finished for Hiei, finally offering up a mental smirk at how unsettled the shorter demon was at seeing the changes in Kurabara up close.  Considering how often he tried to avoid his sister's romantic interest to stop himself from giving him a potentially fatal injury and upset her, he tried to keep his distance.  Yet, this new turn of events had them seeking _him _out, and Youko was reveling in the change in discomforts.  

            _I tell them you're trying to have a baby with a human girl, and you can't find an appropriate one,_ Hiei shot him a warning look, eyes narrowed and flashing furiously before he turned his attention back to the girls moving in and out of the downtown financial district.

            _'We _will_ eventually kill him, right?' _Youko was almost whining, shifting restlessly against the edges of Kurama's mind when he resisted their instinct to kick him for that reminder.

            _No, we won't, now knock it off and listen,_ Kurama reached up and rubbed his aching head for a moment before hiding that telling motion under the guise of sliding his hand back through his hair to push it over his shoulder.  _You were the one whining about information, and Kurabara's our potential inside to this Takeharuka person._

_            'Right, right,' _Youko obediently refocused on the other human they associated with regularly.

            Yuusuke sighed, massaging the back of his neck with one hand as he glanced around to be sure they were alone, "I'm more concerned about the other thing."

            "What other thing?" Kurabara cocked his head, a frown creasing his brow at the serious note in his voice.  "Something I need to get time off for?"

            "Not sure yet," Yuusuke shook his head negatively, stuffing his hands down in his pockets.  "The other day, when you had the kids for us, Hiei thinks that he ran into a girl he couldn't feel.  Like a ghost with a pulse or something."

            "That doesn't make any sense," he took a deep drag off his cigarette, holding it up to stare at the glowing tip as though it held the answers they wanted.  "If it's alive, shouldn't the creepy eye thing have been able to see it?"

            With his back to them, Hiei felt safe enough to roll his eyes, _Creepy eye thing?_

_            So you can't take the thug out of his blood all the way, _Kurama shrugged that off.  "Hiei doesn't make mistakes like that," he pointed out to Kurabara, waiting for the nod of agreement before he continued.  "He didn't sense her and the 'creepy eye thing' can't see her for some reason, but he's certain she was a living human."

            "This is bad news, isn't it?" he rubbed his chin, shoulders hunching forward a bit as he tried to think of anything that could help them.  "Doesn't Koenma have anything to say about this?"

            "Haven't asked yet," Yuusuke brushed that off.  "We wanted to get your take on this Takeharuka guy first before we started digging for anything that involved Rekai.  For all we know, he's just keeping quiet about this for gods know what reason, and the second we _do_ ask, it'll get our asses shipped out on a bullshit mission."

            "Makes sense," Kurabara grinned around the cigarette, straightening away from the wall and starting to pace absently back and forth.  "There's a couple of pretty boys that give me chills, but they stay out of the way for the most part.  It's practically impossible to get any closer to Takeharuka than he wants you to be, and that's why I'm on payroll.  Nothing in, nothing out; not without his express permission."

            "Sounds like a real congenial bastard," Yuusuke snorted in disgust at the politics of big business, and the way some of these corporate heads treated it as thought they were the emperors of their own country.  "What about away from him?  Anything feel wrong?"

            Kurabara shook his head, "I can tell you that there hasn't been so much as a rumor of anything remotely illegal that's linked to his name or his businesses.  I've overheard some complaints about spies who keep the more major underlings in line, but that doesn't look like something any other company of that size wouldn't do."

            Youko latched onto that, leaning them forward eagerly and speaking from Kurama, "Like investigators?"

            Hiei snapped around and stared at Kurama when he sensed the shift, but he let it slide in favor of waiting for the answer, _You're thinking that kid we saw is one of his?  The one on skates who had photographs of the weakling youkai in the square?_

_            'Exactly.'_

"Plenty, but only a few that he trusts for the really important jobs," Kurabara stubbed out the spent cigarette and flicked it out into the street.  "One of them is his nephew, I think… or some type of family, has to be.  He gets away with more than anyone, and he's not afraid of Takeharuka like the others are."

            _Clever fox,_ Hiei turned more of his attention back to the conversation, his own curiosity tweaked at hearing the potential lead.

            _'You're acting like you've forgotten who you're talking to,'_ Youko scoffed at that idea.  _'This is my area of expertise, after all.'_

_            Stop gloating and start talking, _Kurama rolled his eyes and nudged him hard to get him out of his preening stage.  _Just because he has an investigator employed and rumored to be family, doesn't mean it's the same kid we've seen in the neighborhood._

            _'Maybe not, but it's something to start from,' _Youko refused to let that skepticism get him down.  "Red hair?  Blond streaks?  This long and spiked out?" he gestured to his chin and prodded Kurabara for more details, eyes flashing gold as his mind really got going.

            "Goes by Takashima, we think," Yuusuke added when Kurabara dropped his chin thoughtfully to his chest and made a vague sound.

            "Wish I could tell you that too, but he never goes past security if he does show up here," he sighed and gave them an apologetic look.  "Takeharuka keeps quiet about family except for the one niece who works as his assistant.  No press, no pictures.  He has a thing about privacy, or paranoia about their safety because of his lifestyle.  Not to mention the investigators aren't supposed to make what they do obvious."

            _Smart man… they're more effective when his men don't know what they're watching for,_ Hiei grudgingly admired the strategy, even as he cursed the foresight that made their inquiries more difficult.

            _Indeed.  Remind me to compliment him later,_ Kurama took over when Youko muttered in irritation and flopped back into his usual place in their consciousness.  "No rumors from the people they've investigated?" he frowned in confusion at that uncommon feat.

            "Not a peep, but then again, going against Takeharuka would be like committing suicide," Kurabara sighed and looked at his watch.  "He's influential enough and rich enough that he destroys anyone who starts to spread unsavory rumors, but he does have a real soft spot for kids.  Probably because they're too little to realize he's someone they'll eventually be afraid of."

            "And you're certain he's felt human to you every time?" Hiei demanded again.

            "Positive," he turned to head back inside, calling back over his shoulder.  "I'll keep my eye out for anything associated with our other job, and I'll call you, but I have to get back to work."

            Yuusuke nodded and lifted a hand in a motionless wave, "At any rate, if you see Takeharuka today, tell him my boys say hello.  Might give you a conversation opening."

            "You got it," Kurabara pressed his hand to the panel beside the handle-less door, waiting for it to clear him and open.  "Let me know what Koenma says about the ghost girl thing, hn?  If you want I can ask Kaze if there's a spook in here who can help."

            Kurama was instantly frowning, suddenly not so sure they had been asking the right questions about just what he did within the massive corporation, "Spook?"

            "Yeah, professionals," he tapped a finger to his head and grinned again.  "Spiritualists and monks with enough power that I get more than a tingle.  Maybe someone in here has hit the ghost thing too, since they mostly all live around this location."

            Yuusuke could feel his eyebrow twitch while Kurama folded his arms with a sigh, and Hiei muttered a few less than favorable remarks under his breath, "You didn't think it was worth mentioning that your coworkers have abnormally high spiritual energy?"

            "They don't use it the normal way," Kurabara snorted, waving at one of his fellow guards as he passed the open doorway.  "Besides, Koenma's not worried about it unless they start screwing around with the barrier or the humans in here."

            "See what they can add," Kurama instructed in a crisp voice, setting his jaw against the urge to throttle him as well.  "Any information you can give us will be helpful."

            "I'll call you as soon as I hear anything," Kurabara nodded and gave them a mock salute before he disappeared behind the windowless door with a heavy click of the locks sliding into place.

            "I'm going to kill him," Hiei spat out, turning to stalk away from the building.  "There's something going on in that place, but either Koenma told him not to tell us, or he's too stupid to figure out he's in the middle of something important."

            "My money's on the first one," Yuusuke scowled up at the sky, making a mental note to have a nice long talk with their boss about the little things that were popping up lately.  "He's talked to Koenma, that's obvious, but what the hell could that pompous ass be trying to hide from us?"

            _'Something the "youkai" shouldn't be a part of.  Since Yuusuke's got it in him too, and he didn't know-' _Youko growled out, trying to impress an urge to do something that would let off a little steam.  _'Woods.'_

_            For the last time, no, _Kurama let his exasperation fill his voice.  _We have more important things to do than roll around in the woods, and I'm not giving Hiei anything else to start laughing about._

_            You actually should go suck up some energy out there before you let your energy get low, _Hiei interrupted with a chiding frown.  _You don't seem the type to give up a tail for the ki-boost if you're running low._

_            'I am not giving up my tails,' _Youko insisted in one of the most offended tones Kurama had heard him use yet.  _'And my ki is just fine.  I'm strong enough to stand for going a while without feeding.'_

_            We're fine, Hiei, _Kurama added when it looked like the hybrid was going to press the issue.  _I'm not so stupid as to let myself be unhealthy for the sake of my pride._

_            'Unless it's a very special situation,' _Youko couldn't resist offering.

            Hiei turned his eyes upwards as though praying for patience, _No one can ever say that a kitsune doesn't have its priorities completely clear._

_            'That's really saying something, isn't it?' _Youko's voice was full of pride.  _'How many other youkai have such direction?'_

_            That wasn't a compliment._

_            'Says you,' _Youko snorted.  _'You're just jealous that I have such charisma while all you have is dubious "little and cute" appeal from some weird girls until they get a glimpse of the asshole that lives in your pointy little head._

            "So what now?" Yuusuke folded his arms behind his head, oblivious to the internal catfight between his friends.  "Koenma's going to be out of range for that celebration bullshit for another week or so, and we really don't have anything to go on until Kurabara can get us more from his work."

            Kurama sighed and tried to ignore the insults getting thrown back and forth in his head, turning to glance around the street before he shrugged and offered, "We could always get a late lunch at the restaurant Keiko showed you."

            "The one with the chairs?" he made a face, suddenly frowning when he realized that had been a little too vague.  "The uncomfortable metal ones."

            "Yes, the one with the chairs," Kurama lifted a hand to hide his amused smirk at the way that shut both Youko and Hiei up to start mocking the poor man together.  "I'm rather fond of their udon."

            Yuusuke sighed and resigned himself to another uncomfortable afternoon, "Let's go then."

~*~*~*~

            Kagome sat on her heels in front of the altar in Shinju's temple, Miroku's shakujou held vertically in front of her with one hand low on the staff and the other poised just beside the enchanted metal.  Shinju had promised her that he would keep Souta occupied at the house, rearranging the furniture and belongings they had moved in over the weekend, to give her the privacy she needed for her ritual.

            A faint smile touched her lips as she recalled the awed look on his face when she'd requested his help with the layers and layers of traditional kimonos, shaking her head and looking up at the symbolic artifacts, "He's so much like you, you know, Miroku-sama.  Just as charming and just as perverted." 

            Her eyes lifted to focus on the staff again, shaking off her past thoughts before they could distract her from the concentration she needed, _They wanted me to be happy where I went; Souta and Shinju worry… they want me to be happy as well, but I can't do that without accepting what's you changed in me._

Kagome sighed heavily, rising to her feet as she felt the curl of wind ripple through her carefully styled hair before moving down to weave through her clothing and brush along overheated skin, "You wanted me?  You've got me, but I'm calling the shots this time.  We are not going to repeat the past."

            Her soul warmed, feeling almost like it was pouring out of her body to pool at her feet in long, slow waves before the crackle of pink and white lightning flashed out around her in a wide circle.  Her hand moved higher, bringing two fingers to trace the razor edge of the gold topping the shakujou, watching the energy skip from it to her skin and back.

            She exhaled slowly, eyes glassy as everything shifted around her, patterns of ki flowing like iridescent mist to her gaze while the sparks around her feet slowly drew out an archaic pattern as old as time itself, "You want to feel them around us?  I'll let you feel them, but I am not a mindless thing to be tainted."

            Quiet laughter echoed in her head, swirling through her conscious with soft crystalline pings as the pink light cast the main room of the temple into stark relief despite the afternoon sun filtering through the shoji.  She could feel it pulling inside her, reaching out to search for the youki near itself to bask in the inhuman power it promised, the strength and the heat that it craved so very desperately.

            "We have a partner who can control it already, stop trying to get ideas," Kagome whispered, her brow furrowed in a sharp frown at the way it pushed at her restraints.  "I don't care how many unfamiliar auras are running around that we can sense," her voice split strangely, like her lips had to catch up with the actual sound.  "I made a promise, and I don't intend to let the thought of instant gratification get us into a mess that gets us in over our head."

            Kagome splayed her fingers, opening her arms out wide as the energy balanced the shakujou perfectly in front of her, jingling the rings in the unnatural wind melodically, "We're reconnecting with the feel of this time, nothing more."  _This is… not as easy as I hoped it would be.  How could the feel of everything change so very much? Even the air is twisted._

She let her head loll back, tilting her head from side to side as her energy seeped down through the floor, pulsing in brightly in time with her heartbeat when she released it to sweep outwards just below the ground, _There's no way that I can purify the damage here… but maybe we can help to prevent any more?  After we find out where the regional lines have been drawn and find the lord…_

She trailed off when her vision swam under the overwhelming sensations she had denied for so very long, stubbornly gritting her teeth and curling in slightly to keep herself under control.  A wrong move now would send the searching energy in an upward flare, and there was no chance in hell that any of the youkai she was feeling in a fifty mile radius wouldn't be drawn that that kind of burst like moths to fire.  Not to mention explaining to thousands of humans seeing something they had stopped believing existed centuries ago, _Focus, Kagome… just another moment-_

            The underground spiral shifted, bringing a flush of color to her cheeks and a liquid sheen to her eyes with the rise of heat and power, crackling in the air around her and making the rings clang together with more speed.  Everything seemed disjointed to her starving senses, the sound of heaving breathing reaching her ears as though being heard from someone else, like a shell.  It felt like a roller-coaster, like the bottom dropped out of her stomach when it tilted, trying to lift up and lick along the senses of the more powerful youki she could sense, but she forcefully yanked her hands back to her heart, "_NO!_"

            She could hear the shriek of rejection in her head, that sense of defiance that she quashed with almost exhausting effort until its resolve buckled and reluctantly obeyed her unspoken command to contract and return.  Kagome knew she was panting, her knees giving out to drop her hard onto the floor as she fisted her hand against her chest in reflex to the swelling magic.  She gritted her teeth against the pain of the energy flowing back into her a piece at a time.  Every breath seemed torn from her burning lungs, keeping her concentration centered through the familiar tricks and twists; the efforts to gain control and call the powers to them like the old times…

            _This is not the Sengoku Jidai,_ Kagome pressed one palm hard to the bamboo floor, closing her eyes as she felt the heat penetrate and warp the wood.  _We're strangers here, and we will not behave in so careless a fashion when we have only just opened our senses to feel the difference in the youkai and the ki surrounding us._

Some of the reluctance faded, bending to her will as the energy she'd released seeped back up into the temple and began to reabsorb in long whips of crackling magic, _I am the one in control now._

The magic seemed to snap violently, snaking back to its origin with a speed and force that arched her back as far as bone and tendon would permit.  Kagome let out a sharp cry before she could get her vocal chords under control, the spasm rocking through her from head to toe as each new feeling and sensation arrowed down her spine and out through her blood.  Her arm snapped around, bracing her weight up behind her and letting her head fall back to take the strain off her neck when the pain died back down into the more familiar pulse of heat.

            Vague, grasping tendrils of that same white light seeped back up through the floor, fanning out to retrace the symbol around her before wrapping back around her body like a lover, pushing back into her skin with liquid ripples until the last of it had finally faded away inside her.

            The sound of the shakujou striking the ground jolted her out of her trance, bringing her other hand around to catch her balance before she fell back completely and pushing herself back up dizzily, _That… was more intense than I thought it would be.  But if he's here…_

            Kagome let out a shuddering breath, rolling forward and letting the tension melt from her spine until her forehead rested on the floor in front of her, hands loosely curled on either side of her face.  Her body was too sensitive, pulsing uncomfortably heavy with the rapid pace of her heart as she held herself carefully still rather than aggravate the condition trying to move.  There would be plenty of time to settle into all the sensations it was echoing through her before Shinju and Souta returned, eyes drifting closed in an almost trance while she reached out and rested her hand on Miroku's staff for comfort through her disorientation.

            _Let's see if this will make me happy, Miroku-sama._

~*~*~*~

            Takashima slowly let the hand holding the camera lower, grinding his teeth together in frustration at the urge to go to Kagome's side.  She looked like a princess, with the colorful layers of kimonos draped out around her with more grace than the most skilled professional could have accomplished in a controlled setting.  He could see the faint glow to her eyes, the vivid blue that she always displayed after letting her power out like that.  When her body was exhausted, her mind would drift to places in her memories behind those openly expressive eyes to occupy her while she dealt with such excess, raw feeling.

            It was a fight not to go to her side and lift her head into his lap, fingers itching to stroke through that silky hair while he talked her back from that place she went to alone time and time again, _Stay out of sight… that fucking bastard thinks that's the best way to handle it?  She's more vulnerable when she thinks she's alone!_

His hand clenched on his camera, accidentally snapping off another shot even as the prints formed out of his magic, and served to remind him of just what he'd decided to do.  

            Takashima swallowed hard, pulling his jacket open to carefully set the camera down into the side pocket and patting it when the bulge vanished completely.  One hand convulsively gripped the slim branches of the cherry tree he was hiding in, looking through the open shoji to her prone form was an absolutely tortured expression fighting the indecision in his eyes before he swore and leapt over the fence separating the gardens from the outer yard that would take him to the street.

            His hand snapped up to tear a leaf from one of Shinju's trees as he stalked past the temple wall, setting it on his head and letting his form melt to a less recognizable, if not still overly attractive young man.  It wouldn't do for someone who could recognize his face to see him leaving the monk's home, not with his new guests, and not with his intention to go straight to the corporate building.

            _Maybe now he'll let us snatch her up, now that she just more or less announced that she doesn't have it in mind to pretend it never happened, _his frown eased slightly as he crossed the street, feeling safe enough to flip through the images he's stolen of Kagome during her "moment."  There was no way he could use the excuse that she wasn't trying to connect once he got a good look at these, and even he seemed to be bothered by the lethargic disconnection that she experienced after a spell.  _If I hurry, maybe I can-_

            The thought was cut short when a man suddenly darted out of the alley in front of his, knocking hard into his shoulder and making him jump back in alarm.  He felt the soles of his shoes slide across the concrete for a few paces before the traction gripped and held him still, eyes wary and narrowed on the human in case that hadn't been completely unintentional when they widened and he straightened, "Urameshi?"

            Yuusuke's attention went from the others he'd nearly careened into to the boy who suddenly seemed to be looking around nervously for something close by, "What the hell-?  Do I know-?  OI!" he yelled out, taking a useless step forward when the boy turned and vanished into the foot traffic with stunning ease.  "Dammit, who was that?"

            Kurama still had a hand on Hiei's shoulder, preventing the hybrid from all out killing Yuusuke in public just for the hell of it for taunting him about being the uncle to a bunch of little Kurabaras, "Save it, Hiei, now isn't the time or the place for what a fight between the two of you looks like."

            "I'm not going to fight him, I'm going to put his head through a wall," Hiei returned calmly.  "And then I may light him on fire for my own enjoyment."

            Kurama rolled his eyes, but inwardly he was snickering just as badly as Youko, _'You have to hand it to the little runt, he's fun to listen to when he's grumbling at someone else.'_

_            We can do that later in Makai, Hiei, really,_ Kurama shook his head as they caught up with Yuusuke, suddenly frowning when he saw him crouched down in the middle of the sidewalk.  "Yuusuke?"

            Hiei was more direct, slipping out from under the kitsune's hand and striding up to snatch the little Polaroids he could see him glancing at out of his grasp, "What's this?"

            "Give that back!" Yuusuke shot up, making a grab for them and swearing blackly when Hiei very casually dodged his attempts without ever taking his eyes off the picture, brow furrowed in concentration. 

            "Where did you get these?" Hiei suddenly demanded, snapping a hand up to catch the punch Yuusuke had just thrown and squeezing hard to get his attention focused on his question.

            "Ow!  Fuck, Hiei, let go!" he hissed and pulled at his hand.  "I ran into some kid who was looking at them.  Probably his girlfriend or something, but I've never seen a costume like that."

            Kurama's curiosity peaked, feeling Youko's ears perk up inside him and all out encouraging as he moved around behind Hiei to look at the four pictures fanned out like cards in his fingers, "Costume?"

            "Yeah, like one of those princesses in an anime or a samurai movie," Yuusuke rubbed his hand with a sour glare at the youkai frowning over the prints.  "See?  I didn't think anyone wore shit like that anymore unless it was a celebration or a temple or something."

            _'That's not a costume,' _Youko was grinning, excited and whistling in appreciation at the obvious time and effort this woman had put into her clothing.  __

_            How can you tell? _Kurama's brows drew down when Hiei nodded, still scowling at the images and continuously looking back to the picture of her face through the delicate twists of the shakujou.

            _'You can just tell,' _Youko shrugged, drawing his attention to a wider shot where the ties and sashes were visible. _ 'Look at the way its tied, and the layers she used.  Either that's a damn good photographer, or she's used to dressing herself up like that more than just casually.  Even the way you can tell how relaxed she is in- hello, what's this?'_

            "Are these the only ones he dropped?" Hiei's eyes speared Yuusuke to the spot before he could get annoyed with their silence and pipe up again, bringing that picture of her sprawled out on the floor to the top of the little stack.

            "Yeah," he stuffed his hands into his pockets and scowled.  "He had more though, like a handful, but I doubt he realized he dropped them."

            "What else happened?" Kurama arched an eyebrow when Yuusuke turned his focus back up the street, most likely the direction this 'kid' had gone.

            "He knew who I was," Yuusuke shook his head in confusion.  "Said my name, looked around, and took off like someone was pointing a gun at him.  I don't like this, you guys, there's too much that's suddenly happening around here that can't be explained."

            "This is her," Hiei murmured in the following lull.

            _'Her who?'_

            "Her?" Kurama's brows rose, wondering at the strange sense of anticipation that went through him and fully aware that while Youko was responsible for some of it, the rest was all himself.

            "The 'ghost,'" Hiei snorted, finally passing the pictures back to Yuusuke.

            "Sonofabitch," Yuusuke's eyes widened, twisting away from Kurama when Youko took over their hands to try and take them for his own perusal.  "You're sure?  It's the same girl?"

            Hiei gave him a particularly dry look.

            "Right, right," he rolled his eyes and took a closer look at the pictures that showed her face clearly.  "What do you think she's doing?  Posing?"

            _I don't think she knew she was being photographed, _Hiei put in his opinion.  _The edge of the long shot is framed by shoji screens… they were outside of wherever she was and waiting for her to turn the way they wanted._

_            So your ghost girl has a stalker? _Kurama frowned sharply at Yuusuke's efforts to hoard the pictures, finally just grabbing his wrist and taking them back.

            "Was it the same investigator?" Hiei tried to get a feel from the area or off the images, more than frustrated when that same nonexistent aura met his senses.

            Yuusuke shook his head again, glaring at them both for their strong-arm tactics over the clue that he'd found without them, "It wasn't Takashima.  He was younger, natural hair, and dressed a lot more conservatively."

            _'Maybe another investigator?' _Youko pondered distractedly, tracing a finger over the image that looked as though she had fallen asleep on the floor, her hand wrapped around the staff in front of her.  _'Why don't you find a girl who looks like that when she's sleeping?  That's a face I could definitely get used to waking up in the middle of the night and having some fun with.'_

Hiei's lips twitched at the supremely irritated growl that suddenly filled Kurama's mind, glancing back to watch the flash from green to gold and back as the two started in on each other over their taste in women, _It's too bad you won't eventually separate into two bodies.  You would make a good couple all on your own._

_            'Kill him.'_

_            Tempted._

            "Now I need a beer," Yuusuke grumbled and turned around to check where they were in relation to the restaurant.  "This is giving me a fucking headache."

            _'He has no appreciation for the beauty of a complex puzzle,' _Youko turned up his nose, but still didn't argue as they followed him.  

            _He also has a wife and two sons,_ Hiei needled just to hear them growl again.  _And he's not even a kitsune._

_            Hiei, will you shut up? _Kurama turned a glare back down on him behind Yuusuke's back.  _I'm fully aware of his family status._

_            Just thought I'd check, _Hiei smirked, slanting a look back the way he'd come one more time.  _You're out of girls again, aren't you?_

_            'You wouldn't be so disrespectful if we weren't surrounded by all these humans,' _Youko made their hands itch to wrap around his neck and snap it to be rid of that damn insufferable little smile.  _'And we are never "out of girls," you little prick, we're just moving on to new ones.'_

_            Which ones? _he prodded smugly.

            _I wasn't aware I had to run my list of potential girlfriends past you, _Kurama set his jaw, feeling his eyebrow twitch.

            _And here I thought we were friends,_ Hiei almost lost control of his mental laughter at the furious glare that earned him, folding his arms behind his head and sauntering off after Yuusuke.  _Don't fall behind, fox._


	8. Open Eyes and Narrow Roads

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  *laughing*  Okay, Kazusa, I admit defeat.  I'm having fun with this thing, and from all the sweet remarks I've gotten, it seems like people enjoy reading it too.  I've even managed to confuse more than one person, so I haven't lost my touch, ne?  *grins*  Thank you, everyone, for saying so many lovely, lovely things to me, and I hope you all have as much fun with the rest of the story.  *^___^*

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Open Eyes and Narrow Roads~

            Souta groaned loudly, flopping down in the wooden patio chair as he stretched his arms up over his head to soothe his burning muscles, "I don't ever want to move again, even if I do like the food across the way better."

            "The fault for this one is totally on you," Kagome snorted dryly, wincing slightly herself as she eased down across from him and nodded politely to accept the waiter's silent gesture with the teapot.  She'd woken up in time to be pulling her own clothing back on when Shinju had come knocking to announce their return, breathing a grateful sigh of relief that she didn't have to explain that to Souta just yet.  

Still, it had been difficult to pretend she wasn't still feeling the effects of her little stunt when she helped carry and move everything her little brother had deemed 'bring-able,'  "I barely had anything to take… you're the one with the houseload of crap that had to go up and down the stairs."

            He stuck his tongue out at her, "Shinju said-"

            "Shinju-sensei," Kagome corrected, arching one eyebrow in chastisement for the lack of proper title.

            "But he's _my _age, and he's my nephew!" Souta protested, sputtering in the face of her unmoved expression.  "Oh c'mon, Nee-san!  How am I supposed to call him that when we've gotten drunk and gone clubbing together?  Even if he _is_ instructing me-"

            "When you're blasted and hitting on girls, Souta, I'm sure it's fine, but you're going to have to learn to be respectful when the situation calls for it," she reached over and rested her hand on his, lowering her voice.  "The way he has to remember to call me by name in public.  Names and titles can important, Souta, don't forget that or you may unintentionally piss off someone too strong for you to kill on your own, or give away something you don't want overheard."

            Souta blinked widely, his lips slowly curving up in a smile at being included in her way of thinking, feeling even more drawn in to her lifestyle with that simple instruction.  He turned his hand over to grip hers, nodding once to show he understood her and that he fully intended to take it to heart, "Shinju-_sensei _said that if I'm to be properly trained, I may have to live at the temple for longer than I thought… and since he insisted we move in with him, why not bring it with me?"

            "Because eventually it has to all go back," she reached up with her other hand and gave him a light, teasing swat.  "Better work on your strength exercises if you don't want to be in worse shape the next time around.  You don't know who'll be around to help out in a pinch, after all."

            "You're just bragging because you managed to get all cool living _there,_" he snorted with true adolescent arrogance.  "If I had to go through that too, I'd be able to keep working just as long!  You have an unfair advantage."

            "It's a girl thing," Kagome couldn't resist teasing her brother, only managing to hold her bland expression until that earned her what she had come to associate as her brother's 'pull the other one' face.  "Okay, okay, but there really have been studies about that kind of thing.  Endurance versus strength."  She laughed even harder when that expression only got more pronounced, "Granted, living like I did will toughen you up more than most anything in this time.  If it really bothers you that much, I can put you on my schedule, but-!" she held up a finger to warn him when his face lit up, "you won't like it as much as you think you will."

            "Will I get stronger than you?" he arched an eyebrow, lifting his arms in the classic 'strong man' pose.  "Like buff and awesome?"

            "You're a boy, Souta, the possibility isn't all that farfetched.  I can almost guarantee you will," Kagome tapped him on the forehead.  "Isn't that what they say about girls?  They're weak?"

            "Not that you're weak!" he hurried to assure her, his face showing panic at the thought that he'd somehow offended the one person he idolized so completely.  "Just because you're a girl- I mean, and you-!"  

"Baka, acknowledging your weakness is something you have to do if you want to survive in a real fight," she cut him off, leaning back and smiling as she murmured her thanks at the arrival of tea and menus.  She waited patiently until the server had left them alone, sipping at her tea before she continued, "Don't put me up too high in that head of yours, brat, my fighting skills are good enough to keep me alive until I can use my power or until someone else took out the ones that were a bit too close.  That's all.  I'm a miko, not a fighter."

            "But you're not _bad_ at it," he shook his head, annoyed with what he saw as downplaying the skills he respected so greatly.  "I've seen you practice with Shinju and- Shinju-sensei," he corrected before she could do more than open her mouth to remind him.  "And he can't beat you."

            "Shinju-chan has never been in a life or death fight," she reminded him gently.  "No matter how much you train, there's a difference in the way you think, the way you move; you can always tell if you're facing an opponent who isn't afraid to kill you," her fingertips slowly trailed over the rim of her teacup, eyes unfocused as she tried to explain what came so naturally to her.  "It's easy if you know what to look for, but you only learn by experience," she sighed, blinking to pull herself out of the past and smile at him.

            "You can't teach me?" he frowned in confusion.  

"No, I can't teach it to you," she pressed a finger to his lips when she saw his mouth open to protest.  _I can't teach you what it's like to know that a moment's hesitation will get you or someone you love killed.  I don't want you to learn to fight that way._

Souta pouted slightly at the unbending tone in her voice, reaching up to rub his shoulder when it twinged uncomfortably, "That doesn't seem fair.  If I can't learn it, doesn't that mean you'll always beat me?"

            Kagome laughed and shook her head, "Not necessarily, Souta.  It's not like I'd have to fight to kill against you… now stop sulking.  You're going to have to train a lot harder if you want to even try getting close to that point."

            He sighed and let his eyes wander around the little café, folding his arms behind his head while Kagome sipped her tea and obviously let her mind wander off where it would.  Questions bounced around in his head at random, dying to make to his lips and hear answers, but he knew he had to word things carefully out in public.  

They might have a rather dubious level of privacy with the light traffic of the post-dinner crowd, and their placement with outdoor dining in the cooler air, but they were still in a public place in view of anyone who passed by.  He watched another couple go by before dropping his voice and getting her attention, "Nee-san… are you planning to try and go back?"

            Kagome looked up, the sights and sounds around them fading away at the hesitation in his voice, the way he wouldn't quite meet her eyes.  She blinked and lifted her hand to self consciously brush her fingertips down her sternum before she tried to answer him honestly, "I don't think I can."

            Souta was quiet, sensing that this time, there was going to be more.

            "I used to stare at it at night," her lips curved up in a humorless smile, reaching out to trace her fingertip around the rim of her cup in a slow circle.  "After everyone was asleep, I would sit on the edge and search for the energy that made the portal, but it's gone now.  I miss them… so much, Souta, but the jewel…  What if it did take me?  And I couldn't come back?  I can't risk that when my life is here," she finished in a pained voice.

            His hand lightly moved to stop the nervous gesture, lacing his fingers through hers comfortingly before he leaned close and whispered, "But you left a piece of your heart in Sengoku Jidai."

            "More than one piece," her smile took on a melancholy edge, but she had managed to get herself back under control.  "But there's not a single thing that I regret doing.  Even knowing that I can never see what their lives became with my own eyes, or if Sango-chan ever had children of her own.  No one deserved a big family more than they did, Souta."

            For a moment he was at a loss as to what to say, eyes worried and uncertain by the way the color of her own dulled down to a deep grey, "You know… in my human physiology classes, we did research on things like that.  Our instructor had a theory that men took other wives when their first choice couldn't get pregnant because something about keeping the girls together would make it easier for the other to actually conceive."

            Kagome blinked in surprise, her expression almost comically stunned before her eyes sparkled with delight and she grinned, "Did you really study that?"

            "Absolutely!" he assured her with complete confidence.  "I bet if we ask Shinju-sensei, he'll show us that they had tons of kids after you had to go.  Have you seen those records?  They're in such amazing condition!"

            A tingle of youki brushed the back of her awareness, bringing a frown of concentration to her face as that feeling started a suspicion, "I wonder if Sesshoumaru-sama had something to do with that…"

            "Sesshoumaru…sama?" Souta's eyebrows shot up in surprise, remembering that name coming from her lips with a much different emotion behind it.

            Kagome was nodding in a rather distracted way, tapping a finger to her lip as she tested how effectively she could pinpoint the focus of that youki, "I made a deal with him after he found one of my textbooks and wouldn't give it back.  I told him I would let him borrow all of them if he watched Miroku and Sango-chan's bloodlines and helped them keep records."

            He blinked in amazement, tilting his head and repeating, "Your textbooks?"

            Kagome couldn't help but giggle slightly at the memory of bargaining with the impossibly elegant youkai, "Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't like anything happening that he doesn't know about.  Once he knew I was from now, I turned into a source of information he would need to have eventually."

            *_"Sesshoumaru-sama, please?" Kagome clasped her hands together, unaffected by the aloof expression on his face while he looked over at Inuyasha growling and muttering under his breath.  "I'll loan you all the books I have from my time, and you can do whatever you want with them-"_

_            "You will meet with this Sesshoumaru and answer questions."_

_            That was enough to shut Inuyasha up and snap his head around in automatic protest, "No fucking way!  Sesshoumaru, can't you see she's too far along to go running around just because you suddenly got curious?"_

_            "I did not say she would have to travel, hanyou," Sesshoumaru's brow kicked up arrogantly.  "I will come, and she will answer my questions.  Then I will not kill you."_

_            Kagome could feel her lip twitch, lifting a hand to hide her smile as she bowed, distracting them from their staring match, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama."_

_            "Aw, Kagome, don't give into that shit!" Inuyasha nearly whined out, scowling when he caught the very faint upward tilt to his half brother's lips.  "He won't go away if you tell him that!"_

_            "You should learn to be so respectful to you betters, hanyou," Sesshoumaru turned his back on them and walked away, Kagome's geometry book tucked up securely under his arm.  "This Sesshoumaru will return soon for a new book, miko."*_

            "Kagome!" Souta's raised voice snapped through her little retreat into her own mind, his face close to hers and eyes concerned.

            She blinked, the glazed look fading away and the sounds slowly coming back into her awareness, "Oh…I… Oh.  I'm sorry, Souta, I didn't think that would happen."  _I must be more tired than I thought if it was that easy to regress from feeling those youkai.  _"What did you say?"

            "I said, I thought you hated him," he leaned back and frowned at her slightly.  "He tried to kill you all the time, didn't he?"

            "Only in the beginning," Kagome took a deep, cleansing breath and forced her mind to relax and leave the youkai alone before it started poking at them to feel their power. "And if I get technical, pretty much every youkai I know tried to kill me at first.  Inuyasha, Kouga-kun, Sesshoumaru-sama…  Hell, even Shippou-chan tried to knock me out the first time we met.  I guess it was just a youkai thing… or maybe a human thing.  Humans weren't much better.  Everyone attacked everyone else if they thought they were threatening or suspicious."

            Souta blinked at how matter-of-fact she was speaking about such violent things and suddenly burst out laughing, "It's going to be so hard to marry you off!"

            Kagome nearly fell over, "W-what the-?!  Where in the hellsdid this come from?"

            He leaned close to her again, his smile smug and eyes more calculating then she ever wanted to see, "Well, you _are_ my only chance for a big brother, and you're the one who told me that they'd want you to get on with your life and be happy.  Doesn't that mean having a family of your own?"

            It was the first time he'd ever managed to render her speechless, much less get just that expression on her face, and he couldn't stop himself from laughing outright while her mouth continued to open and close soundlessly.

            Taking full advantage of her shock, he straightened his posture with a perfectly faked regal air and lifted his teacup to salute her as he continued, "See… the problem, Nee-san, is that you've done so much all ready.  Who knows how many times you almost died; you had to fight to save the world; you had kids for your best friends… How are you ever going to find a guy who doesn't bore you to death?" he shook his head and tsked.

            Kagome finally recovered enough to reach out and smack him over the head, cheeks flaming, "_Mou!_  Even if I were planning to get married, which I'm not!" she poked him in the chest hard.  "How do you know I wouldn't want someone mellow and predictable this time?"

            "Uh-huh," Souta rolled his eyes, setting down his cup to fold his arms behind his head.

            "It could happen," she protested, but her voice lacked conviction.

            "Sorry, Nee-san, but you're going to have to find someone who blows you away," he reached over and poked her back the same way she'd done to him before he set that finger on the tip of his nose and nodded sagely, much to his sister's amusement.  "What was it you said?  Life or death situations?  He'll have to be good in those, and he'll have to have just as many stories as you."

            Kagome braced her chin up on her palm, really and truly laughing as she listened to him list his ideas, "Is that so?"  
            Souta nodded, kicking back in his chair until he was balancing on the back legs, "Someone pretty too.  I mean, let's face it, I spent hours looking at the pictures you had, and you've seen some real knockouts, not just girls."

            She bit her lip, snickering at the way he added that with a flick of his hand, "That's true."

            "They've got to be strong enough that you can't wipe the floor with them all the time, and at least a little polite so you aren't yelling all the time," he rocked back and forth absently, his eyes trained up on the sky.  "But you seem to like those guys who can get rude… Inu-nii-san wasn't exactly big on manners-"

            "Good gods, Souta, how long have you been thinking about this?!" Kagome finally broke down and tried to sound indignant through her laughter, shoulders shaking from just how much she was holding in.

            He pasted on his best hurt expression at being cut off before he could finish his little ramble, but at the same time, he couldn't help but puff up his chest at finally making her laugh like that again, "I have a list."

            "Oh damn-"

            "I started it when you were fifteen and figured out that I actually had a chance to get a cool brother-in-law," he finished despite the fact that she'd just dropped her head to her hands and was trying to unsuccessfully muffle her laughter with a napkin.

            "Stop!" she begged between gasping breaths, tears streaming down her cheeks.  "My ribs… my ribs can't take much more of this!"

            "Oi, I'm being half serious, you know," he scolded, grinning widely when that sent her past the edge of speaking and into just waving her hands trying to get him to stop that way while she pressed the back of her hand hard to her mouth.  _This is the Kagome I remember… this is what she needs to be again._

~*~*~*~

            Telling himself it was only her brother getting her to smile and laugh so freely wasn't helping to quiet the jealousy gnawing away at the restraint keeping him hidden in the shadows of his alley of choice.  He could feel his lip curl up in a faint snarl of distaste, reached up to yank to the brim of his leather cap down to hide the way those emotions made his eyes gleam like ice.  His eyes narrowed on them, gritting his teeth as he continued to watch them speak, oblivious to the attention they'd sparked around them.

            He'd seen her space out for a moment, her gaze going a million miles away and the faint energy they'd learned to read as her personal aura fading away to nothing.  It was a protection method, in case she wasn't in a safe area, but it made him long to step out of this damn alley and carry her back to the main house where these strangers couldn't see her so vulnerable.

            _Damn him for being so nonchalant about this! _Takashima's hands clenched, biting down the growl in his throat and forcing himself to lean back against the bricks behind him.  _He can't possibly be as uncaring as he's trying to make us think!  He's the one who pulled her in all the time._

            A twinge of familiar ki flashed through him, drawing his eyes away to look across the street and into the fancier restaurant across the street.  He pressed back into the shadows, finally letting his lips turn up in a full-blown snarl of distaste, _No fucking way._

He glanced at Kagome and her brother nervously, relaxing when she didn't seem to be the least bit affected by being so close to the two youkai he'd been investigating not even a week ago.  _Why here?  And why now? _he slanted a look at the three men sitting to eat in front of the open window.

            If he tried anything now, it'd only draw attention to himself, and the last thing he wanted was giving them an excuse to notice who he was hovering over so protectively.  They'd already proven to be sensitive to other presences, even with his piece of the concealing stone, they'd noticed him more than once just in time for him to get out of sight.  This time he wasn't so sure he would back down if they got close.

            _I have a bad feeling about this…_

~*~*~*~

            _Fucking HELLS, Youko, this is getting ridiculous! _Kurama hissed furiously, barely holding in his stoic expression through his internal rage when yet another girl had been vetoed before he'd so much as started to stand and approach her.

            _'I'll say,'_ Youko shot back just as irritably.  _'Why are we wasting time on this side when you're not going to do anything we want you to do?  We aren't even getting sex out of all your attempts to find one, so I don't want to think of this right now.  Take the pictures back from Hiei if you want to think of a girl that way, she's at least interesting, and we can see that she's pretty when she's sprawled out on her stomach-'_

_            You perverted bastard!  _Kurama's jaw clenched, propping his chin up on his hand to hide his mouth while he tilted his head to let his bangs shield his eyes. 

            _'You started it,' _Youko mentally shrugged.  _'All this dating and whatnot and you haven't fucked a single one of them!  That's just more than a _little _annoying, you un-aggressive pansy!'_

            _SONOFABITCH-!_

_            Calm down, Kurama,_ Hiei reached over and gripped his wrist, squeezing hard enough to break the shouting match in their head.  _It's not going to do you any good to lose your temper here just because you two can't agree on a girl._

_            'Yeah, so calm down before you give us wrinkles,' _Youko's voice took on a patronizing edge that made Kurama wish even more fervently that he could figure out a way to separate that part of his mind long enough to strangle the kitsune.  _'Why do we even need a baby, anyway?  I know your mother would like grandchildren, but it's going to take after us completely… do you really want to try and pass a hanyou off as a human?'_

_            Right now, Youko, I would have **Hiei's **fucking baby myself if it were physically possible! _Kurama snarled out with barely leashed violence.  _Since it's not, can we find a goddamn girl and GET ON WITH IT!!  There has to be one…  Give me _ONE_ girl that interests you so we can be done with this!_

Hiei was blinking in amazement at the outburst in Kurama's head, knowing from the heavy silence that he'd managed to shock Youko with that completely astonishing reaction as well.  Apparently the stress of trying to juggle some sort of personal life with the rest of their lives was seriously affecting his friend…

            Youko let out a grunt, backing down from the argument but giving off every arrogant feel and impression he could manage to save face for giving in while he took over turning their head around to scan for one girl he could stand impregnating.

            _Youko…_ Kurama started to hiss when he turned to glance outside and start searching the girls outside.

            _'Hang on, hang on, I'm looking,' _Youko assured him, smoothing his hands down over Kurama's soul in a practice caress to settle him down.  _'I don't like any of the girls in here, so I'm looking outside, all right?  I'll find one.'_

Hiei wasn't sure what to think of the two of them being so quiet and purposefully trying to keep him out of their head, but he retracted his hand when Kurama seemed to settle down. If still not to his usual relaxation level, it was enough to satisfy him that the restaurants plants weren't going to suddenly go wild and eat the diners in response to the emotional fluctuations Kurama was giving off.  It was a legitimate concern given that Yuusuke was even giving the kitsune suspicious looks now and then, trying to hide it behind his beer before his eyes clashed with Hiei's carefully bland look and slanted away.

            Kurama was just about to brush off the comforting strokes from his other side when the pedestrians outside managed to move just enough for them to have a straight shot across the street, attention caught and held by the graceful hand cupping a young man's face, _That's-?_

_            'We've seen those hands,' _Youko sat up, ignoring the silent questions from his companions as he scowled at the humans blocking the owner of that appendage.  _'The temple… that girl watching the investigator from the doorway.'_

The traffic shifted again, finally baring both occupants of the table to their unblinking eyes and sending an abrupt jolt through him at the chill that snaked down their spine.  He followed the hand as it left the boy's skin, unconsciously tightening his hand on the table in reflex as it moved back and caught the thick portion of glossy black hair falling over her shoulder to push it back behind her ear.  The second she twisted and gave him a clear look at her face, he knew he made a sound, at least… he thought he had…  Hiei had gone stiff, so it had to be something.

            But he recognized that face, eyes flashing as the images from their accidentally recovered photographs snapped through his mind one on top of the other, imposed with the brief sight of her face set in somber determination in the doorway with her hand resting on the shoji.

            _Hiei's ghost, _Kurama murmured softly, suddenly aware of every beat their heart made in their chest.  _This… is this coincidence?_

_            'That one,' _Youko's crisp command jolted Kurama back to himself, taking over control of their movements again with a tingling shiver of kitsune instinct.  _'You want a human girl, we all want answers about the empty thing…  What's the silly human saying?  Two birds with one stone?'  _Kurama felt their body heat as Youko's imagination kicked into high gear, _'I can think of a million things that I want to do with those pretty little hands.'_

_            You want her?  Fine, _Kurama was on his feet and walking with single-minded purpose, completely ignoring the questions from his friend as he maneuvered around the tables to the door.

            _Kurama?  What the hell has gotten into you? _Hiei glanced out the window, brows lowering in a scowl when he saw the young boy laughing across the way with what he assumed was a girl… it was hard to tell with her face hidden in her hands.  _You're intending to approach a girl on a date already?  Get back here and eat, she's with someone._

_            I don't care, _Kurama yanked open the door hard enough that it smacked against the wall with a bang, setting his jaw against the way Youko became even more adamant about having that particular girl at the thought of stealing her from a little human boy.

            _What are you planning?_ Hiei got to his feet, pausing enough to wave off Yuusuke's question before he hurried to catch up with Kurama's longer stride.  He wasn't exactly sure what _he_ intended to do either, but still… better to be there to have the option rather than watching from across the street.

            _I'm going to get a baby, _he gritted out as though that should have been obvious.  _Youko likes this one, so this is who it's going to be._

_            'Finally, you're acting the right way!' _Youko's surprise changed to delight in a heartbeat at the unbending resolve in Kurama's focus.  _'THIS is how we're supposed to think, Kurama!  We see, we want, we take.  It's really that simple, or do you think we would have our kind of reputation any other way?'_

Hiei's eyes widened slightly, speeding up but still trying to hold a human pace to prevent attracting attention, _You're losing it, Fox.  You know this is going to start trouble… is it worth all that?_

_            Peace in my own fucking head?  You bet your ass it's worth it, _Kurama lithely sidestepped the pedestrians blocking the path to his chosen prey, making sure the street was clear before he started across it.

            _'And sex,' _Youko added impatiently, prowling around his boundaries in his growing eagerness to be their dominant persona for just such a thing.  _'We've been doing this too long without any compensation, so this time we're going to at least get a good fuck out of the deal.'_

_            And sex, _Kurama agreed in a low growl, stunning Hiei into momentary stillness at hearing them both in accord in that regard.

            _Shit, this isn't going to be pretty,_ Hiei gritted his teeth and rushed to catch up with Kurama again, still not exactly sure what he was going to do to stop him in this state of mind, but prepared to step in before it turned into a scene.


	9. Exploits of the Early Bird

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Okay, okay, so I've already updated once for today, and I'm not going to turn this into a habit, but this isn't as long as the other chapters, so I'll go ahead and toss it up there.  I have to say again, thanks to all you guys who've reviewed, and I know you're impatient to start figuring out who's who, but don't worry, it's coming.  You're fabulous and terribly sweet for taking the time to comment on this, and I adore you.  Now if you'll all excuse me, I must go hide from Kazusa.  -blows kisses and waves cheerfully-

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Exploits of the Early Bird ~

            "A list," Kagome was still shaking her head, sipping her tea slowly in her efforts to soothe her throat.  Inwardly, she was hoping that she could find Kouga and Shippou again, if only to share this little bit of entertainment with them.  After everything they'd been through in the past, they could use it.

            "You have to be picky," Souta was still instructing, using his chopsticks to make a point before sneaking one of her pot-stickers and dodging the smack she'd aimed at his hand.  "Well no one can compare to you, and it's not like we're desperate for money or a house or anything.  So you can take your time."

            Kagome rolled her eyes at him, this time swatting his hand before he made it to her plate, "That's sweet, Souta… impractical, but sweet."

            His brows lifted in confusion, "Impractical?"

            "I'm twenty-five, and I barely managed to pass high school before I –for all intents and purposes- dropped off the face of the planet, only to come back and manage to find employment because the ancestor of my oldest son owns and lives in a temple," her eyes were glowing as she smirked at him.  "They can do better, runt."

            "Don't make me kick your ass," he stuck the tips of his chopsticks in his mouth to smack her on top of the head lightly.  "Besides, I don't think you really believe that, Nee-san."

            "Oh?" one brow kicked up, their eyes meeting as she challenged him to expound on that accusation.

            Souta nodded, slanting her a particularly sly look before he set down his chopsticks and propped his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together to make a cradle for his chin, "Mm-hmm…  See, _I_ think that you're waiting for something.  You've been looking around at actual faces instead of just staring around at the people.  So… I think you're waiting to see if there are still youkai here, maybe a few specifically?"

            Kagome's mouth fell open, stunned at her little brother's insight and content to just stare until he snickered and lost the effect.  Her face instantly flamed, and her spine went absolutely rigid as she hissed at him, "That- that's ridiculous!"

            "It'd be just like you to promise to wait until they could screen the ones wanting to chase you around," he composed himself and continued despite her hiss of warning.  "You were so important to the bad guys in the past, so wouldn't it be the same here?  Or is it something else?  Maybe one of them had a thing for you-?"

            "Don't make me beat _your _ass," she leaned forward and clapped her hand over his mouth to stop that flow of words.

            Souta was right back to giggling, sticking out his tongue and grinning in triumph when she made a sound of disgust and yanked her hand back to wipe it on the leg of her jeans, "So I _am_ right."

            "Lucky guess," she muttered, grabbing her napkin and dunking it in her water to wipe at her palm while she wrinkled her nose.  "That's gross, Souta, aren't you too old for that?"

            "Not if it works," his grin widened proudly before he winked at her.  "And 'luck' isn't why I'm in training, Nee-san.  I'm a monk in training, we can be very intuitive."

            "Obnoxious punk," she stuck her tongue out at him, but her lips were still curving up as she set her napkin aside and leaned back to regard him with open speculation.  "If I didn't think it would kill you, I'd probably train you myself."

            Souta kicked her shin under the table, "That's mean!  You can't say things like that when you don't mean it."

            Kagome shrugged at him and winked right back, "Sorry, brat, but I do mean it.  I have troubles going back down to the human way after what happened with the jewel.  It's too much to expose anyone in training to."

            "One of these days you'll have to explain how all this works," he pouted slightly at the silence following that vague statement.  "It's _really _not fair when you keep all the cool stuff to yourself."

            Kagome giggled and reached over to pat him on the hand consolingly, "Maybe if you study hard I'll tell you everything about what happened.  But _only_," she pressed her finger firmly to his chest, "if you pay attention to Shinju-chan and develop your potential."

            "You kidding?  This'll be _so_ much cooler than school ever was!" Souta snorted and tossed his head, gesturing around but remembering to keep his voice down when the crowds started to become a little thicker.  "And you promised to stay with me and help, so we're going to have serious bonding time."

            Her eyes softened, going practically liquid with emotion as she watched him accept their bill and dig out his wallet to pay for it.  He had no idea how much that simple comment had just sent pangs of regret aching through her, but there was just something about the way he continued to repeat that promise with such excitement that nearly broke her heart.  She'd missed so much of his life already, and really Souta had been the only one who never doubted that she would be coming home.

            Kagome laced her fingers with his and couldn't help the affectionate smile that crossed her face when he closed his hand to grip hers tightly, glancing at her with eyes sparkling happily while he sent the server off to get change.  _Most boys wouldn't be so excited at the thought of having their sister living with them, _she sighed as she reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes.

            "You need a haircut," she teased when he glanced at her, the question in his eyes over her behavior.

            "I will if you will," he turned his nose up.  "Well?  Don't think I haven't noticed that you seem to have a thing about letting anyone near you with scissors.  You haven't been since you got back… or did you just get jealous of those guys you knew and you're trying to outdo them?"

            "Now you're just making stuff up," she squeezed his hand, trying to draw him away from that very accurate observation about not letting anyone cut her hair.  "I ought to hold you down and shave you bald the way most monks are expected to be."

            "Aaaah, don't say such scary things, Kagome!" he reached up to put his hands on top of his head defensively.  "No one on either side of the family has been bald, and they took over the shrine without any troubles!"

            Kagome snickered at the horrified look on his face, propping her chin up on her hand again, "You sure?  You might do that look well, you know."

            "I'm going to make sure Shinju-sensei wakes you up with a bucket of ice water in the morning," Souta stuck his tongue out at her and sat back, folding his arms across his chest.  "Aren't mikos supposed to be above threatening defenseless boys like me?  Or are you not going to work at the temple like he asked you to?"

            Kagome shook her head and laughed, her lips twisting in wry amusement as she leaned close to him and pinched his nose, "Maybe I should say no.  Jii-chan would probably die of a heart-attack if he heard that we were both taking temple work seriously."

            Souta blinked and then tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully while he considered that, "You're right…  Although that could be a lot of fun, and it might keep them from thinking we'll leave the shrine all to them."

            "Okaa-san knows," Kagome murmured, turning to look over her shoulder into the café.  "I… already told her that wherever you decide to go after your training is finished, I'll take over the shrine.  We can't let the well or the Goshinboku leave the control of the family."

            He paused and redirected to consider it from that point of view, nodding in agreement, "I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right… We really do have a lot of history to protect, don't we?"

            Kagome smiled and nodded, "Once we read all of Shinju-chan's records, we'll be able to trace more of it, but yes we do.  It's a big responsibility."

            "So you're going to learn more about taking care of shrines here?" Souta tilted his head curiously.  "Is it really that much different?"

            "Night and day, Souta," she faced him again and reached up to rub her head.  "The paperwork alone-"

            A pair of hands slammed down on their table hard enough to make the dishes jump and clatter, jolting Souta and Kagome back defensively to face the man leaning down like some sort of avenging lord.

            Kagome just barely managed to stop herself before she reacted more suspiciously than that, her eyes on those hands before they moved up to the rolled cuffs of a simple white dress-shirt and up to the blood-red hair spilling over his shoulders and framing a disturbingly handsome face. 

            She could feel herself relaxing more out of surprise than from lack of a threat when her eyes lifted to connect with flawless, deep emerald green, _Oh wow…_

"Please bear my child," Kurama's hands lifted, reaching forward and gripping Kagome's before she could pull them off the table.

~*~*~*~

            Hiei actually lost his footing, slamming face first onto the pavement a his mind tried to process the words he'd just heard come out of Kurama's mouth.

            _He… he did _not_ just say that,_ Hiei worked his hands underneath him and pushed his upper body up off the ground to gape at his friend in wide-eyed shock.

            Kurama hadn't moved, his expression perfectly serious and even a little desperate as he held tightly to the obviously startled girl's hands, and refused to release her gaze.  He ignored the outraged shout from the boy sitting beside her, not even fazed by the hand the boy wrapped around his arm in his efforts to gain that girl's release.  He ignored the sudden silence that gripped the square, pedestrians stopping to stare at the unreal scene they found themselves witnessing; even ignored Youko's furious demands of what the hell he could possibly be thinking in using such a stupid line when they had hold of her.

            His eyes had been on them the entire time he approached, watching the emotions play across her face and the subtle color shifts each one brought to the uncommon blue of her own eyes.  He watched the way he moved, the open affection and love in the way she was touching that boy, and for the first time he could recall, they'd been jealous.

            Even Youko was growling softly, muttering all the ways they could turn those looks and all that emotion onto them.  For a little human to evoke such things in her, a human who could never compare to them… in that tiny space of time, the idea began to expound into something of a minor obsession.  

            Kurama had no idea what it was about this one girl, out of all the ones he'd approached since this ridiculous situation started, but this was the second time she'd managed to catch his eye across a sea of faces.  She stood out, and they couldn't place why.  

It was… compelling.

            _'Those hands can't be wasted on a human boy who can't appreciate them,' _Youko purred inside Kurama's mind the closer they came to the table, his agitation adding to Kurama's own restlessness and inexplicable fascination.  _'The closer I see her, the more I'm convinced, Kurama.  If you want me to be happy about the girl, this is the one we need to seduce.'_

_            We will,_ he set his jaw when she smiled at him again, their heads close and voiced cast low in secretive murmurs.  That had been when he'd reached the table, unaware he'd brought his hands down so forcefully until he saw them jump.

            The boy looked up at his face first, scowling at the interruption and mouth open to snap at him when a quick flash in his eyes had that boy instinctively backing down to regroup his thoughts.  That lull left Kurama free to dismiss any possibility of a threat from that end, turning his full attention to the girl staring down at his own hands as though the same fascination had gripped her as well.

            Kurama was patient with her so very close under his supervision, more than willing to give her the time to admire him, to burn the image of him into her mind to haunt her the way he knew the sight of her was going to haunt him.  Youko was insisting they speak, pushing at him while her eyes lifted and locked onto his, bemused and soft as she obviously tried to recover her own thoughts and question his appearance at her table.

            He had no idea why he'd blurted out what he had, or why he'd picked that moment to grip her hands so possessively, inwardly kicking himself the moment the words left his lips and even welcoming Youko's added fury for their lack of finesse.  He was absolutely certain that his eyes clearly reflected his unvoiced plea for her to withhold and outright rejection, squeezing those lax hands in his own as he prayed to any of the gods he and Youko could remember that he hadn't just terrified this girl into running away so soon.  It would make the chase that much more difficult for them…

            And yet-

            Kurama held his breath when he saw those soulful eyes fill with tears, her fingers curling around his as she searched his face almost hungrily, as though peering into his soul to search for something there.

            "Miroku-sama?" Kagome whispered the question tentatively, scarcely believing that this inhumanly beautiful man sending youki tingling down her skin where they touched could be the reincarnation of her "husband" from the past.  But that question…  No one else would say such things to her but Miroku's descendants or his own reincarnation, would they?

            Souta stopped trying to yank Kurama's arm away from his sister when he heard that, letting out a low hiss and instead reaching over to grasp her shoulder, "Kagome-?"

~*~

            Takashima shot away from the wall, mouth falling open and eyes huge with horror before he instantly took up a string of blistering curses under his breath and started to frantically search the surrounding area, _Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!!  He's going to kill me… but this idiot's going to charm her right here if I don't get her the hell away from him!_

~*~

            Hiei's own amazed focus snapped around to the girl so rapidly, it was a miracle he didn't break his own neck.  There was absolutely no way in hell that this was a normal person if she reacted like that such a brainless, blunt demand, let alone saying a name in that tone of voice unless…

            His eyes went wide and he shoved himself up in a rush when he realized just who it was that the kitsune had a hold of, _Kurama, you bastard, that's-!_

Before he even finished the furious thought, someone shrieked to their right and turned their eyes automatically to the side just as Takashima came skidding to a stop directly behind Kagome's chair.  His hand bit into the wood, yanking it back so hard that Kurama lost his hold, and were it not for the arm Takashima snaked around her waist, she would have gone tumbling to the pavement.

            She's barely opened her mouth when Takashima had her thrown over his shoulder, twisting in the same moment and propelling himself away from them at breakneck speed, skating in and out of the stunned onlookers with remarkable precision.

            There was a beat of disbelieving silence, broken only by the distant sounds of traffic, street-signs… every day things… until Souta managed to gather his twice-scattered wits and yell out in alarm as he sprinted after them, "_Nee-san!_"

            _Her… brother…?_ Kurama was staring in rather blank confusion after them, feeling oddly disconnected as he tried to adjust to the situation himself, mainly to the fact that the girl they'd finally decided on and approached had just been snatched out from under them… Literally.

            _'Goddamn fucking worthless sonofaBITCH!' _Youko's enraged shriek was enough to even get Hiei wincing at its 'volume,' shoving violently at his confines in their human guise as his brain went into overload.  _'That little investigator punk just _stole_ her from us, Kurama!  From ME!  Fucking hells!  Get moving, get moving NOW!  I want _that _girl!' _he enunciated those last four words with deadly focus, the plant-life around them shifting and swaying in its desire to bend to his mood, but unnoticed in the chaos already surrounding the square.

            They could hear the humans around them speculating on what was going on: kidnappings, botched proposals… every possible scenario they could come up with, but Kurama didn't hear any of it.  His brows were lowering furiously, Youko's anger at such an insult reverberating deep in him as well to add to his own strained frustration until his temper snapped as well.

            _Fox-_ Hiei started in a warning tone when he heard the low growl emitting from Kurama's throat, casting a glance between him and the vanishing figures he wanted to chase after just as badly.

            "I am not prepared to let the very first female we've agreed on to get _stolen_ from me," Kurama's voice was low and deceptively flat.  _We made a reputation and a life from being what we are… it's simply not acceptable.  …Besides, she didn't say no, and that means, she's ours now._

_            'She'll explain herself when we catch her,' _ Youko promised as they turned to follow the obvious trail the younger brother had left behind for them to follow.

            Hiei was stopped by the hand coming down on his shoulder, only Yuusuke's distinctive aura and voice stopping him from breaking that arm for restraining him, "What the fuck is going on, Hiei?!"

            "This is a matter for us, not you," Hiei muttered back at him, slipping out from under that hand effortlessly and pausing only long enough to give one last order.  "Wait here," he didn't even look to see how that magnanimous statement went over, dodging into the first alley to take to the roofs and follow that way, completely confident he'd be able to overtake Takashima with little effort.

            "The HELL I will!" Yuusuke was shouting after them, looking around at the people eyeing him curiously and gritting his teeth at being turned into a spectacle.  "Dammit to hell and back," he hissed to himself and shoved through the people in his way, beyond irritated that he was the last one to get in on the chase.


	10. Wink and a Smile

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -blinks and rubs head- Well now… I have to say that I'm a bit floored by a few correspondences that I've had from my reviewers.  I can't believe that Sylvannstar is asking if I mind her recommending me.  –laughs and shrugs- Seriously, all this praise is going to go to my head, you guys, and it's just for a little gift fic!  LOL!  I had no idea there'd be people who thought so highly of it, but if you really want to tell other people about it, go right ahead.  –looks mildly embarrassed-  I still am having a bit of trouble with all the attention, but hey, if you like it, who am I to say anything?  But I'm impossibly flattered, and the reviews are beyond lovely.  Hopefully you enjoy the way the story pans out as much as the beginning. –blows kisses and waves-  You guys are fantastic, and I'd name you all, but I have a feeling you'd rather see the story than an author rambling.  ^__^

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Wink and a Smile ~

            "Persistent bastard."

            Kagome shook herself out of her mild stupor when she heard that growled mutter, twisting around and swearing under her breath in mostly self-directed irritation as she tried to see just who had hold of her.  Or rather, _what_ had hold of her, she corrected when the all-too familiar tingle started in her stomach, _Just my luck… it happens there, it happens here.  You'd think I'd stopped being such an open target after a goddamn decade._

"That's my little brother, you pervert!  What do you expect when you come running out in the middle of the day and grab me like that?" she demanded, swatting her fist lightly on his back.  "Are you trying to get yourself killed or are you just that stupid?"

            "Oi, reserve judgment until _after _you know the whole story, hn?" he actually sounded offended by the accusation.  "It's not like I wanted to get your attention like this, I really didn't!  I just didn't have a whole lot of choices open, and it was the best I could come up with in a pinch!"

            "Then how about putting me down before you give my brother more nightmares than he already has," Kagome flexed her fingers, splaying them open and pressing them against his back as she let her palms heat in restrained warning.  "Do it or I'll bust your ass into the next dimension so fast, your skates won't have time to melt, little youkai."

            "It's not your brother we're running from, Nee-san, it's the redhead," he patted her in a soothing manner, squirming a little at the feel of that magic tugging at his illusion and naturally unraveling it.  Somehow he still kept up his speed, taking them along smaller streets to less crowded sections of the city.  "If it was just Souta, I would have stopped already, but it's not, is it?  _And_ that guy's a kitsune… you'd have to be an idiot not to feel that; you know what you promised about starting any relationships with demons."

            _It… can't be,_ Kagome had gone still, pulling her hands away from his back as the offensive magic died down under a spark of hesitant excitement.  If she was right…  "Who are you?" she was already putting her hands on him again, fingertips pressing firmly against his shoulder blades as the searching energy washed through him.

            "Takashima," he nearly stumbled from the abrupt, and considerably more forceful sensation, catching his balance and hopping a high curb as he admitted he really should have expected to get this end of her magic.  "_The _most prominent investigator working under Takeharuka and all his enterprises-"

            "I'm too tired to put up with posturing," Kagome cut him off, frowning when her vision swam for a moment under the youki echoing back to her.

            "That's no fun, you used to think it was adorable," he sighed with mock regret, attempting to conceal his concern at the way he could feel her holding back, saving depleted energy stores and only letting out enough to feel what she wanted inside him.  _You should know better than to over do it to such an extent, Kagome.  He's going to kick both our asses when we get home._

The youki snapped across her palms, rushing back into her so suddenly that she nearly knocked herself right off his shoulder.  Her fingers twisted into his shirt again while his arm tightened to keep her still when she choked out in disbelief, "_Shippou-chan?!_"

            He didn't even try to stop the grin that nearly split his face when he heard her voice kick up in a hopeful, almost pleading note at the end, craning his neck to flash unchanged blue eyes up at her, "In the flesh!  Or… you get the idea.  Modern day… tails… bad combination, you know?  Have to tone it down a bit for the sake of public."

            "I should rip out your tail!" Kagome hissed at him furiously, but she could feel her heart start to race, the pressure in her soul making her light-headed and nearly too much to bear.  She wanted to hug him, laugh, cry, hit him over the head, demand answers… too much, too soon.  It was all jumbling together in her head to rapidly to sort out until she settled for wrapping her arms around his waist in her upside-down position and squeezing him hard.  "_Where the hell have you been?!_"

            Shippou swallowed hard, squeezing her tight and bending his knees to propel himself forward with a burst of speed that was definitely pushing it for human surroundings, "I should ask you that.  Do you know how worried we were?  You just… disappeared!"

            "You know we thought it might happen," Kagome's eyes squeezed shut when she heard the edge of pain in his voice.  "I didn't want it to take me like that."

            "We didn't even know if you'd _be _in our future," he leaned as they swung around a corner, reaching out with his other hand to catch a street-sign and make the turn more smoothly.  "After the jewel tried-  We all watched… and waited for something that would show us you were alive."

            "Shinju-chan," she murmured in realization.

            "We're still a family," he nodded, and she could hear the proud smile in his voice.  "Shinju knew that if you found him, he was supposed to call us the second you arrived.  So Big Dog watched you to be sure it really was you, and then he sent me to make sure nothing like this happened."

            "Big-?" Kagome blinked and gasped at the implication.  "Shippou-chan!  How many of us are still alive?!"

            "Oh!  Well, me, of course," he twisted around to skate backwards, looking behind them and frowning at seeing not only Souta still behind him, but that kitsune gaining ground on the younger man.  _Goddammit…  _"Kouga and his pack are handling some business in England, but they're due back in a week or two.  Jaken's not dead yet, so no luck there," he smiled when he felt her hold her breath.  "Yes, Nee-san, that means that his all-mighty highness is alive and well, and lording over much more than he used to."

            "Thank gods," she practically went boneless in his hold, making him smile even wider.

            "He's going to kill you, you know," he snickered at the way she muttered a few disparaging remarks under her breath.  "What?  He's an overbearing asshole, but you're the one who never stopped him from acting that way around you.  So don't complain this late in the game."

            Kagome rolled her eyes, inwardly admitting he was right about that while she changed the subject, propping her elbow in his back and resting her chin on her hand, "Did you _have _to kidnap me off the street in broad daylight, Shippou-chan?  Souta really does have a complex that I'm going to vanish, and with good reason."

            "Five years to five hundred, Nee-san," Shippou's chin kicked up at a defensive angle.  "We're your family too, and granted I wasn't supposed to deliver you this early, but well…  That guy was using Miroku's line _and _he's a kitsune who's particularly pretty.  And let's face it… you're a sucker for all three."

            "I am not!" Kagome felt her cheeks turn pink.

            "Mmhmm," he clucked his tongue knowingly.

            "I'm really not," she pouted.

            "I suppose you can keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better," Shippou snickered richly under his breath, growing serious again as he watched how much closer that kitsune was getting.  "Gotta hand it to your brother, he's fast for a human."

            "Okaa-san said he was on the track team," Kagome fairly pounced on the chance to turn the conversation away from her romantic tastes before Shippou embarrassed her any more, grateful he hadn't worked his way around to her fascination with silver hair.  

"Hn…  We _really _pissed off that pretty boy really well if he's still keeping up and-" Shippou was observing in annoyance when he suddenly broke off with a scowl, his head jerking up to stare at the buildings above them.  "_Shit!_"

            "Shit?" Kagome repeated in confusion.

            "The other one," he answered, muttering to himself as he reached into his pocket and dug around for his phone.  "That fox hangs around with this little guy… black hair, red eyes… same kinda 'fuck all' look that Sesshoumaru has to an art form.  I can't tell what he is, but he's not human."

            "Peachy," Kagome almost groaned, forcing herself to stay calm and expand her focus to search out the youki to find what he was talking about and get answers.

            "I know I'm early!" Shippou was hissing into his phone defensively, eyes sharp as he looked between his pursuers once more before turning back to face the front and speed up his pace.  "Something came up-!  Yeah, a 'something of the male persuasion,' damn, don't you say anything like a normal person?"  There was a beat of silence, and then he muttered out in a chastised tone, "No, I don't want to know what it feels like to look through my own stomach.  Look, can I just get a car?  Please?  There's a damn fast little youkai chasing us."

            "He's strong too," Kagome informed him in a slightly vague, distracted tone, feeling the pulse of her soul washing away her surroundings as it called for the energy sweeping back into her, craving it…  "Jumbled though…  it's a pure source, but it's split and tangled."  _How is he doing that?_

            "Did you hear her do her creepy thing?" he swore under his breath, tightening his hold when she went completely limp.  "No, I can't take the time to look it over, her brother's after us too, and that kitsune guy.  Yeah, I can keep her from jumping into anyone."

            Kagome felt her eyes drift closed, letting out a heavy sigh and absently sliding indistinct 'fingers' along those vibrations to familiarize herself with the subtle differences those two new auras had from the ones she already knew, _They're old… like Sesshoumaru and Kouga-kun… Wait.  I've felt these youkai before-_

"Hang on, Nee-san, we're going to have to play a little stunt here," Shippou's voice snapped her out of her musings just in time to see him leave the sidewalk and shoot out into traffic.

~*~*~*~

            _Do you feel that? _Hiei's demand cut through Youko's litany of what he intended to do to that boy once he knocked him off those damned skates and smashed his face into the nearest building for daring to take that girl from him.

            Kurama blinked, refocusing to his surroundings to try and figure out what his friend was talking about, and frowning the instant he felt the warmth snake down his spine into his stomach, _What the hell?  Where I that coming from?_

_            I can't find the source, _he admitted reluctantly, obviously more than a little irritated by that fact.  _It was just… there all of a sudden.  I have no idea what it is._

_            'Not usually a good sign,' _Youko reluctantly let himself be distracted from his current plans to add his own opinion of this new development.  His curiosity increased, however, when he opened himself to that strange warmth, trying to pick it apart as it seeped into them and figure out just what had caused such a thing from an unidentifiable distance, _'Random powerful auras popping up for no reason generally is a good indication to be more alarmed.' _

Not that anything in that strange probe felt threatening, rather it was surprisingly comforting.  Warm and tingling at the back of his neck before it spread out through his blood and seemed to wind through him until he just wanted to melt back into it.

            Youko shook himself when he realized they had been slowing down, growling darkly and voice filled with grudging respect, _'So that's what it's trying to do…'_

            _Maybe this investigator is not as human as he feels,_ Hiei suggested, getting more and more interested in the situation by the minute.  No matter the part he played for his reputation's sake in front of the humans, he was still almost as prone to boredom as Youko, just more selective in his pursuits of entertainment.

            _'Then maybe this "ghost" isn't just pretty, maybe we're feeling something else in her that this punk wants to have for himself,' _Youko interjected, giving Kurama the distinct impression of a predatory grin.  _'This is just getting better and better, Kurama.  For once this damn realm has finally given us a lover who won't be boring and stupid.'_

Hiei felt safe to roll his eyes as he kept careful pace on the rooftops beside Kurama, looking down at the boy yelling into his cell-phone as he sped away from them, _It has _really _been too long since you've had sex if you're this single minded about a total stranger._

_            'Ask him if he's offering to take the edge off,' _Youko shot back, smirking wickedly when Hiei gave him a two word answer.

            _I swear to gods, if you two get into a sexual argument and I have to listen to it, I'll see to it that Yuusuke finds out about your weird little fling, _Kurama hissed at them in exasperation.  _In case you've forgotten, we're _trying_ to catch that girl and figure out what the fuck is causing this weird energy!_

_            What about the brother? _Hiei spared a look down at the boy, mildly surprised that he'd kept up so well and for so long.  _He's obviously an… athletic sort of human._

_            'All the better,' _Youko nodded decisively.  _'It means there's stamina in the bloodline… and he doesn't feel as weak as normal humans.  Young, but not weak.'_

_            Have I told you how disturbing you can be? _Kurama clenched his jaw, scowling darkly when the boy turned around backward and looked right at him, the look on his face an open taunt to his pursuit.  _Or have you forgotten you thought this was idiotic up until a few minutes ago?_

_            'I changed my mind,' _Youko turned his nose up primly.  _'Now focus… We're going to wipe that look of this fucking brat's face and rescue the girl.  Then the brother will idolize us for saving her, and he'll help us get to her if we need to be sneaky getting into their house-'_

_            You're really into this, _Kurama shook his head slightly, helplessly amused at the abrupt turnaround to the kitsune's thought process.  He was already drawing up designs for a dozen different scenarios, muttering to himself as he sorted ideas all while still glaring his intentions of bodily harm on the skating investigator.  _What if we can't stand her when we catch her?_

_            'Then we'll convince her to breed for us and go our separate ways,' _Youko offered a mental shrug.  _'This time we're going to handle it my way, since your way is just spending our money and not getting us any goddamn sex.'_

_            I was doing fine with this one!_ Kurama hissed back at him.

            _'Yeah, _real_ fucking smooth, Kurama,' _Youko snorted, redirecting his frustration to growl at his other half.  _'What in the seven layers of hell were you thinking?!  "Bear my child…"  What kind of idiot strikes up a conversation with something like _that?'

            _Did she turn us down? _Kurama shot back defensively.  _She was one second away from asking us to stay at her table, or letting us take her somewhere to talk!_

_            'She also called us Miroku-sama,' _Youko grumbled, unwilling to admit that the tactless approach hadn't gotten them publicly slapped.  _'She was looking for something in our eyes-'_

_            Someone,_ Hiei corrected absently, stepping in before they got into even more of an argument when they needed to be focused on their target.  _I managed to get that, but not much else.  Her mind clicks in and out to me… like something is distorting her aura, or it's full of holes._

_            'Damn and double damn!' _Youko was seething all over again.  The best puzzle they'd found in ages, and it was slowly outdistancing them over the shoulder of a boy who was probably young enough to be his human mother's child, _'Fuck this, Kurama!  Bring that boy down!  We can make the humans think it's a fluke.'_

Kurama was close to agreeing, reaching up to press his fingertip to one of the seeds behind his ear when the investigator gripped a pole and used it to fling himself in a hard left turn.  He crouched down with the expert mechanics of long practice as he hit the street, and it wasn't difficult to hear the girl abruptly snarl out a furious "_are you insane?!_"

            _'What is he _doing_?' _Youko was livid, a chill running down their spine when a dark, almost military style car screeched by and very nearly ran them down.  Except the boy reached out, grabbing onto the car through an open window to borrow it's speed rather than putting out his own effort.

            "Hang on!" Shippou sounded much too cheerful as he looked back at them again.  "Let's go, Shinju!"

            Souta's eyes went wide when he heard that name, skidding to a stop at the edge of the sidewalk and gasping air in his burning lungs as he gaped after the car, _Shinju?  But why-?_  His thoughts cut off when a flash of red shot past him, making his eyes widen in alarm, _That… that guy?  What the hell?_

            Shippou smirked at the kitsune much more smugly when Souta predictably dropped out of the race at hearing his nephew's name, twisting to shove Kagome through the open window despite her outraged curse and promises of retribution.  With that hand now free, he turned back and offered Kurama a mocking salute as the car turned a corner to a deserted stretch of road, "Hands off, Red.  This one's property of Big Dog, got it?"

            _'Big Dog?' _Youko's brows snapped down, echoing the expression darkly through Kurama when that brat started to laugh at him.  _'What do these youkai want with my human?'_

"Oh yeah!" Shippou smacked himself on the head as though a thought had suddenly occurred to him, stuffing his hand into his jacket to pull out a thin leather glove and use his teeth to awkwardly pull it on.  "Oi!  Shinju!  Hand it over," he reached inside, pulling his arm back to show the ofuda to Kurama and wink, "Can't have your little youkai friend following us, can we?"

            _Holy magic?_ Kurama nearly faltered, well aware that running into that would break right through his illusions and leave any onlookers to see a silver kitsune racing after a boy hanging off the side of a car.  But it was the curl of pale blue fire that curled around the boy's wrist that had him snarling, right back to being furious, _Foxfire?!_

"No offense," his eyes flashed, pupils fading back to their natural state as he flung his arm up to snap the ofuda straight up in the air, laughter ringing out when he felt Shinju's magic flare out in a wide arch and slam the youkai on the rooftops back away from them.  "Baaaaaaaaaaai!" Shippou flipped him a rude gesture as he hopped up to stand on the low step beside the passenger door right before the tires squealed, accelerating away too fast for Kurama to follow.

            Youko let out a furious scream inside of Kurama's head, bringing him to a halt to grip the sides of his head and bear his teeth until the piercing sound finally died down, leaving them in a state of false calm…   His eyes narrowed sharply, memorizing that vehicle and everything about that boy while he felt the foreign magic leave him completely the same time that ofuda burned away and let Hiei move, _'I'm going to kill him.  That little bastard punk is another kitsune and he just stole my new goddamn lover.'_

_            Technically she isn't your lover at the moment, _Hiei reminded him sharply, his own anger manifesting in the snappish tone and the dangerous gleam in his eyes as he dropped down beside his friend.  _But whoever was in that car and gave him that ofuda was a powerful monk._

_            Working with youkai, _Kurama slowly straightened and set one hand on his hip, his expression slowly settling back into cold calculation as he let more of Youko's emotion flow through him.  _Big Dog._

_            You knew that was the girl I couldn't feel, _Hiei slanted a particularly irritated look at him before glaring back down the street where the path went completely blank.  _Why didn't you tell me you saw her?_

            "We had other things in mind," Kurama murmured, reaching up to tuck his hair back behind his ear.

            _I noticed that glaring moment of eloquence, _Hiei scoffed, crouching down to press his hand to the pavement in an effort to find some sort of trace that would help them track that car.

            Kurama growled softly, turning a golden-eyes frown on him as he repeated the same thing he'd said to Youko, "She didn't say no."

            Hiei waved that off and stood, folding his arms over his chest, "Everything was wiped clean, and I'm willing to say that girl has something to do with it."  _If you'd mentioned _she _was the one you decided to go after, we could have taken her somewhere that she couldn't have been taken like that._

_            'Unless you want to see if I have a plant in here that matches those beady little eyes of yours, I suggest you shut up,' _Youko tried to take over their arm to grab the hybrid by the throat, Kurama stopping him at the last moment.  _'This is temporary…  Just because some bastard kitsune says she belongs to a dog, won't stop me.  That girl is going to be the one that has my baby.'_

Hiei's eyebrow kicked up at the deadly edge in Youko's voice, sighing and shaking his head as he gave up convincing the kitsune to look elsewhere.  It may have worked had the younger one not snatched her up and behaved in such an antagonistic manner, but he knew quite well that nothing would get Youko's blood up the way that behavior would.  He'd seen it happen more than once with an object or two that had fallen under minor obsessions, things in his private collection that he would rather die than sell simply for the chase of having them…

            _Perhaps her brother could answer- _Hiei began, only to trail off when he looked back at the vacant spot where the boy had been standing a moment ago.  _Well, shit…_

Kurama glanced over his shoulder, fists clenching when he inhaled only to find the boy's scent ending in that same empty trail, _Sonofa-_

_            'Now I'm really pissed off,' _Youko growled, restlessly pushing at his hazy boundaries as he prowled back and forth inside him.

            _Like you weren't before, _Hiei set his jaw, just as frustrated as Kurama for letting the two of them get handled like a couple of juveniles by the hidden network of these empty youkai.

            _'We saw her first!' _Youko ranted defensively.  _'And they just came out of nowhere and grabbed not only her, but the family member who could have led us to her and answered our questions!'_

_            So what do you want to do about this?_ Hiei folded his arms and stared back at where he could feel Yuusuke finally catching up to them.  _We don't even know where to start looking, and by the time you find her, she may be out of your reach._

Kurama's lip curled in distaste, _That won't happen._

He sighed and shook his head, _This isn't something we've handled before, Fox.  I can't feel them to find them, and he still have to follow the rules to some extent.  Unless you want to be running errands for the Rekai for another few centuries?_

Kurama's eyes narrowed sharply again, looking up at the sky as he calculated the passage of time, _I'll follow the rules… but I think it's past time to go visit our dear employer and get some answers of our own._

_            And if he can't tell you what you want to know? _Hiei closed his eyes, pasting on his best bland expression.  _More importantly, what if _does _know and he tells you to leave her in the hands of this youkai?_

            The smile that curved the Kurama's face was Youko in his purest form, eyes glinting dangerously for a moment before they let the gold fade back into docile green, "What do you think I'll do, Hiei?"

_'Has it ever stopped me before?' _Youko's voice filled with arrogance.

"I'll just have to steal her," Kurama finished with a matter-of-fact shrug.


	11. Half of What You See

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -rubs head and chuckles- Just to warn you all in advance, this chapter may confuse you, but there are some things that had to happen for the plot to progress. (Don't eat me, Kazusa, I _swear_ they'll actually have a real meeting soon enough!)  -clears throat and composes self-  At any rate, I again must take a moment to thank all of you who reviewed and emailed over what you think of the story.  You're very sweet, and I really am delighted that you're enjoying yourselves.  Even so much as to occasionally try to think up music to go with it.  ^__~  -giggles- That should be enough rambling from me.  Just that I adore you all, and I hope you continue to find the story an entertaining distraction.

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Half of What You See~

            Souta fisted his hands on his thighs, every muscle strung taut as he looked from the grumbling, ancient looking man guiding the elegant cars further out of town and towards the thick forests that surrounded the hills and mountains.  Fidgeting nervously, he slanted a look at the oddly familiar woman seated beside him as she clicked away on her laptop, trying to remember where he had seen this face.  He gave up after a moment, twisted around to scowl out the window as his concern for Kagome's welfare increased.

            "He won't let those two catch her, Souta-chan," Ankoji reassured him with a faint smile, reaching over to squeeze his hand.

            "What?" he jumped slightly at the unexpected contact, eyes startled while his mind tried to snap back around to the conversation rather than his own imagination.  "He-?  Catch Kagome?"

            She giggled softly when the driver muttered about the stupidity of youth, shaking her head at him before smiling wider at Souta, "Takashima.  He's the cocky little twit you were chasing."

            "Then. you know who kidnapped her!" Souta twisted around in his seat to face her, eyes intense as he gripped her hand firmly.  "What's going on?  Who _are_ you?!"

            "I told you, I'm Taiharuka Ankoji, Shinju-chan's cousin," she sighed and closed her laptop, setting it aside carefully to prevent any accidental data loss or damage.

            "What do you want with my sister?" he set his jaw, trying to make that sound demanding and stern instead of pleading for information, or giving into his urge to grab her shoulders and shake her for answer.  "Are you going to hurt her?"

            The driver snorted in disgust.

            "Oh hush, Jaken-san," she leaned forward to swat the old man on the back of the head.  "And no, we aren't going to hurt her, Sou-chan, she's important to us.  All we're trying to do is protect her and-"

            "The miko is being taken back where she belongs," Jaken glanced over his shoulder, dark glasses reflecting the sunlight in a way that made Souta grimace and squirm until he turned forward again.

            "Jaken-san _means_ that we're only bringing her home," she frowned at him in disapproval for his intimidation tactics and sighed again.  "Takeharuka-sama has missed her a great deal."

            "Takeharuka-?  But-!  How does such a person even know of Kagome?" Souta's mouth fell open when he recognized the prominent, corporate name.  "My sister has never been involved in any businesses with-"

            Ankoji's bubbling laughter cut him off, and she hurriedly waved her free hand to show that she meant no insult to his way of thinking when he frowned at her, "I'm sorry!  You may not believe this, but without Kagome-sama, there's no way that Takeharuka would not be the enterprise that it is now.  However, this isn't a business call, Sou-chan, it's personal."

            "Personal?" he repeated in disbelief.

            "Takeharuka-sama says that she is an old friend," she nodded with a broad smile.  "A very close, old friend."

            "But that would-" Souta's brows lowered, eyes searching her face until the meaning behind her words clicked.  "Oh gods!  He's-?!"

            "From Sengoku Jidai," Ankoji shared a quick look up to meet Jaken's eyes in the rearview mirror before lowering her voice to inform him gently.  "Our master is youkai."

            He sat back against the door, taking some comfort from the cool glass against his hair as his mind reeled from the implications, "A youkai.  They survived all this time?  Then that means Inu-nii-san-!"

            "It's more. complicated than that, Sou-chan," Ankoji cut him off before he could really get going, chewing nervously on her lower lip.

            Souta fell silent, waiting eagerly for her to continue and clarify that statement.

            "I wish I could explain it to you, but it's not my place to tell you the story your sister doesn't yet know for herself," she glanced out the window for a moment to watch the scenery go past before looking back with a slightly melancholy touch in her violet eyes.  "But I _can_ tell you that a great deal of the youkai your sister loved in the past have survived until now.  They have been waiting for a sign that the Shikon no Tama would give her back to them in this era."

            "She has responsibilities to the Takeharuka family," Jaken informed him loftily, turning up his nose.  "There were promises made to the master before the hanyou's wish went wrong and banished her to this filthy place."

            Ankoji leaned forward to whisper to Souta, "Jaken-san has never managed to get rid of his distaste for the scent of humans."

            "Then he's-?" Souta glanced back at the driver in surprise.  _Youkai?_

"Ancient."

            "I am distinguished, you insolent brat!" Jaken snapped out at her, waving one arm in a blustering manner as he turned off at their exit and turned the car up towards the mountains.  "Your ancestors would be horrified at such lack of respect for your elders."

            Ankoji snickered and winked at Souta, glad to see his lips curve up in amusement, "Jaken-san doesn't like to admit that he respects Kagome-sama, so he gets touchy whenever she is discussed in front of humans."

            "Hmph!"

            "See?" she gestured at him before patting Souta where he had yet to release her.

            Souta was quiet, digesting all this information as he puzzled over just why all this was happening all at once.  They'd had more than a year of silence from anything that resembled her life in the past, but now in one afternoon, she'd been yanked off the street and chased for gods knew what reasons.  Then the car pulling up, Ankoji opening the door to hiss at him to get in if he wanted to see Kagome again.  He reached up and rubbed his head with a contemplative sigh, _But at least I'm in on it, this time.  She won't have to face all this alone.  But the way they speak of her_, his thoughts tapered off as his eyes fractionally narrowed on the patient, attractive woman sitting beside him.

            "What about you?" he finally challenged.

            Ankoji's brows snapped together, head tilting to one side in confusion, "Me?"

            "The way you talk about her," he gestured expansively, eyes never leaving hers to watch the shift of emotions.  "Shinju has told me stories, but he speaks the same way you do.  Like it's something directly effecting to your life instead of just respect for history."

            Souta couldn't help but feel smug when he saw her eyes fill with amazement before they settled down to resignation and amusement, "You're a very astute person."

            "I get that a lot," he nodded to acknowledge it, eyes finally drawn forward when they reached a massive gate stretched out across the path, glancing side to side at the high wall that disappeared into the trees.  _Holy shit._

"Simply put, Sou-chan, without Kagome-sama's power over the jewel, my family wouldn't have lasted beyond one generation," she murmured, reaching for her laptop again and opening it to access a link with the house and get them inside.  "There are many things in our family that can be traced back to her influence."

            Souta's head snapped around, eyes lighting with delight at the thought that struck him, "You're like Shinju?  You're from Kagome's sons?"

            Ankoji glanced up at him and shook her head, making sure the gate was opening before she expounded, "Not exactly.  But if she hadn't had them, my ancestors couldn't have been born."

            Souta blinked, obviously making an effort to puzzle through that on his own before he folded his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow, "Now I'm confused."

            She made a soft sound of apology and glanced up at Jaken for help, smiling when he started grumbling again, but finally sighed, "The taijiya woman was barren until the miko gave her those two strange boys. Something about the way those two auras combined repaired the damage her weak human body had suffered." 

            Ankoji laughed at the mixture of insults and compliments, shaking her head at him, but keeping a critical eye on Souta for his reaction when he continued to stare at them in blank silence, "So you see. without her, it wouldn't have been possible."

            _Oh, Nee-san, wait until you hear this,_ Souta could feel his lips twitching, trying to spread into a huge grin.  "Her friend Sango actually had children," he waited for her nod of agreement, "how many?"

            "Three more," she let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding when he seemed to accept that with more enthusiasm than she expected.  "She had two daughters and another son."

            "Ahh!" Souta clapped his hands together once and took in a deep breath as he sent a quick prayer of gratitude to the gods.  "They had a big family after all!  Nee-san was so hopeful they would have more."

            Ankoji bit her lip, eyes slanting away as she reached up and lightly pressed two fingertips to her forehead, "Shinju-chan wanted to tell her, but Takeharuka-sama wouldn't permit it.  He's afraid we'll overwhelm her too quickly if we tried to tell her everything that happened.  We've had our whole lives to hear the stories a little at a time-"

            "When you actually paid attention to them," Jaken inserted irritably as they accelerated down the tree-lined drive once the gate locked back into place behind them.

            "Takeharuka-sama believes the memories are too raw for Kagome-sama to hear when he is not there to absorb any excess energy," she continued as though he'd never spoken, more than used to Jaken's attitudes by now.

            Souta made a sound close to a snort, pouting as he propped his elbow on the door handle and bracing up his chin on his hand, "One of these days, someone needs to explain to me how the hell all this works and what exactly happened.  It's getting annoying that I don't know why everyone treats her so strangely."

            "Be patient, human," Jaken snorted, glancing in the review mirror to scold him with his body language alone.  "Whenever that damned jewel was involved, nothing was ever made simple."

            Ankoji rolled her eyes and let out a long suffering sigh, "Please understand that it's not anything against you personally, or a matter of not trusting you.  it's just that the family is very careful not to involve innocent bystanders in matters surrounding our past.  We have too much death and destruction in our history to be taken lightly."

            "But that's all in the past, isn't it?" Souta frowned at the somber air that seemed to grip the car.

            "Not anymore," she murmured reluctantly.

            "What do you mean?" he sat up, instantly alerted to the change in her attitude.  "This is something to do with Kagome, isn't it?  She doesn't have it anymore, I would have seen it!"

            "Calm down, Souta," Ankoji tried to soothe him when he seemed ready to work himself up into a fit.  "We know you haven't seen it, but there are still youkai who would hunt your sister down if given half the chance.  It was the same in the past with the ones who tried to use for her powers, and her relationship to the jewel.  Even if they died in the attempt, it was worth it try and hold her for a little while."

            "Before the miko took control of the jewel, there was only one youkai who managed to control the effects of it rather than give into its powers and allow it to corrupt him," Jaken's voice became even more impossibly arrogant, putting Souta in mind of some twisted little butler like he'd seen on foreign movies.  "Doing so caused certain changes to the way things are now done."

            Souta was even more confused, not liking it one bit and scowling in frustration at hearing so much to understand so little, "What changes?"

            "As you are now aware of your place in the family, I expect Takeharuka-sama to explain the things you need to know," Jaken retorted, bringing the car to a stop outside an old-style gate and high wooden fence surrounding the main house and grounds.  "Anything else is not your concern."

            "Are you always such a nasty little prick?" Souta sat up, bristling at the implications that he was no more than an underling when it involved his own sister.

            Before he could get an answer, the door opened and sent him toppling out backwards with a startled curse, wincing when his back his the ground and left him looking up at the upside down face of the boy who'd stolen his sister, "_You!_"

            "Hi there!" Shippou held up a hand in a motionless wave, grinning widely at him before he reached down and yanked him up to his feet in a seemingly effortless motion.  "Sorry about making you ride with Jaken and Koji, but we couldn't turn back for you with those guys on my tail."

            "What do you mean?  The redhead guy?  What other one?" Souta stammered out the incomplete demands, trying hard to do something other than gape at the young man grinning so mischievously at him.  "Where's Kagome?"

            Shippou rolled his eyes as Jaken got out of car and pulled out a gnarled walking stick, dodging the half-hearted swing sent his way as he grumbled and stalked up to open the smaller door set in the wood, "Aw, c'mon, Jaken!  You should be used to looking like that by now-!"

            "Filthy human skin," Jaken snorted, turning up his nose at them both while Ankoji came around the other side to stand with them.  "This is all your fault, you annoying kitsune!  You had strict instructions not to react out of turn and you did it anyway-"

            "Oi!" Souta reached out and grabbed Shippou by the shoulder, brows shooting up and abruptly releasing him when he heard a strange sizzle and watched the man's shoulder ripple and change ever so slightly.  "The fuck-?!"

            Shippou looked down and sighed, patting his arm and shrugging, "Don't sweat it, it's just the illusion."

            "Illusion?"

            "Yeah!  Don't you read up on your demon lore?" Shippou snickered and motioned for him to follow as they trailed after Jaken.  "Holy magic always melts through any of our illusions, that's why we try to steer away from it.  Bad for the ego to watch something that takes us decades to perfect just going poof because someone has tingly hands.  You can work around it if you're good, but-"

            "Kagome-sama, Shippou-chan?" Ankoji reminded him sternly when she realized he was about to go off on a tangent about his favorite topic.  "Where is she?"

            "Where do you think?" he folded his arms behind his head and shrugged.  "I hadn't even opened the door to the car all the way before _he_ was there and hauling her off to the house.  We probably won't see them until tomorrow."

            Souta was back to feeling dizzy, absently ducking through the open doorway and just as quickly launching himself backwards with an alarmed shout when he found himself looking at a diminutive little. _thing_ with bulging yellow eyes and a staff that appeared to be made from two heads, "GOOD FUCKING GODS!!!"

            "What is-?  Oh!  Don't worry, it's just Jaken," Shippou assured him, unsuccessfully trying to smother his laughter behind his hand at Souta's reaction and the equally sour look on the toad youkai's face as he turned his back and hobbled his way towards the largest structure.  "We don't have to worry about humans seeing us in here, so most of the time we don't bother putting on our nice 'normal' faces."

            Souta had his hand pressed over his racing heart, wide eyes going from Shippou's face to Jaken toad thing, and back around to Ankoji.  Unaware of the look Shippou was sending over his head to her when she bowed and informed him, "I have to find my cousin before he manages to get himself hit over the head by Kaze-kun."

            "They're brushing me off, aren't they?" Souta grumbled as he watched her walk away as well, leaving him alone with this bizarre boy who looked at him with too much knowledge in his pale eyes.

            "Not really, they just wanted to give you and me some alone time to get to know each other better," Shippou tilted his head, seeming to be listening for something for a moment before he motioned for Souta to follow him again, heading in the same direction Jaken had taken a moment ago.

            "Why would they want to do that?" the confusion was back, suspicion and worry nagging away at the back of his mind as he continued to look around in an effort to spot some sign of his absent sister.

            "They just figured you should get better acquainted with your big brother."

~*~*~*~

            "You trusted Kurabara with something like this and didn't even bother to tell us about it?" Yuusuke hissed furiously, slamming his hands down on the desk and wishing for the hundredth time that Koenma hadn't regained enough energy to be restored to that teenage body.  He would almost trade his right arm about now to have him back in the toddler form to pick up and shake him in his effort to vent his frustration.

            "I told you, Yuusuke, it's a peaceful investigation," Koenma informed his casually, unable to stop his eyes from slanting over at the two youkai watching him with piercing intensity.  "Nothing youkai in nature, simply a large amount of energy under the control of one man."

            "Hiei and Kurama say it _is_ 'youkai in nature,' you over-grown excuse for a wannabe god!" Yuusuke pointed back at them.

            _At least the years have made him more creative, _Kurama observed in a distracted manner, most of his attention set on ignoring Youko's own growled demands that _his _questions get asked.

            _Hn._

            _You're still annoyed with me for not telling you I had spotted your ghost, aren't you?_ he spared a brief look at the annoyed hybrid before looking back at the insult trades between their "boss" and their dubiously appointed leader.

            _You could have handled the situation better, _Hiei informed him crisply.  _I don't care if you want to have sex with that particular human, but with her, we have more than your personal gratification at stake._

            _'Our gratification is not less important than yours just because yours is supposed to be intellectual or some bullshit reason like that,'_ Youko retorted.  _'She'd probably feel more inclined to answer our questions if we had a relationship instead of just demanding answers as if we were some random lunatic off the street.'_

            _Like walking up to her and asking her to bear your child is going to give her a better impression?_ Hiei arched an eyebrow in sardonic inquiry.

            _She didn't run, did she? _Kurama bit down hard on his tongue to hold his blank expression when he saw Koenma's knowing eyes slide over their direction again.  _You can't blame me for that little damned kitsune coming out of nowhere and kidnapping her just because it's the second time she's been in front of you and disappeared. _

            _I can and will, _Hiei's chin kicked up the slightest fraction of an inch.  _If you hadn't been so busy staring at her and trying to convince her to jump on you right there, you would have seen that brat and been able to move her out of his reach._

"The Takeharuka enterprise doesn't seem to be involved in anything that links to the Makai or even anything illegal by human standards," Koenma broke off their internal fight by rising to his feet and folding his hands together behind his back.  "Kurabara has been working for him for the past two years, and has nothing but good things to say of his coworkers and bosses.  He says they're eccentric at worst, but that even the youkai who work around him are content to blend in with the humans in a peaceful manner.  As far as we can tell some of them have never even been _in_ the lower realms."

            "How is that possible?" Kurama interrupted before Yuusuke could continue his rant at the temporary ruler.  "I thought that every youkai was banished when the barriers were created."

            Koenma sighed, reaching for a massive folder on the corner of his desk and flipping it open, "We thought every one of them was banished, but these youkai are proving our beliefs to be incorrect."

            "And you didn't think this was worth mentioning?" Yuusuke flung his hands up expansively, even as he leaned over to try and see what was drawing his attention in that stack of papers.  "Why did you ask Kurabara to do this without telling us about it?"

            The unspoken accusation that he'd left them out of the loop because of their own youkai bloodlines hung heavy in the air, and Koenma arched an eyebrow as he slid the folder back away from him, "Kurabara comes off as harmless.  Over-enthusiastic and a bit strange, but he was the most likely out of your group to not set off any suspicions."

            "Harmless?" Yuusuke's voice was incredulous.  "Kurabara?  He's a fucking thug!"

            "So are you," he shrugged nonchalantly, smiling around the ever-present pacifier at how much he was enjoying riling the detective.  "It's what got him the position in the company, you know.  He _is _one of the directors of security for that office, but you know what I mean."

            "Why didn't you send Kurama if you wanted someone who would look harmless?" Yuusuke ranted and gestured expansively to the kitsune standing with false casualness a few paces behind him.  "He's at least pretty, he could have charmed someone into giving up the answers."

            "I did not want to alert them to other youkai poking their noses into their affairs on the chance that it _was _a issue of concern," Koenma brought his hands to rest on either side of that folder again.  "Youkai can sense each other and they would have known in an instant that Kurama was a kitsune, and one that they didn't know.  Granted, it may have brought him in front of the head of their operation right away, but it was too risky."

            "You think I can't handle myself with a few Ningenkai youkai making themselves cozy amongst humans?" Kurama tilted his head to one side, his voice carrying a silky edge that had Hiei mentally telling him to back down before they could see Youko's ulterior motives to this particular topic.

            Koenma's eyes narrowed ever so slightly on him, quiet for a moment until he shook his head and chalked the behavior up to kitsune pride, "I'm aware that you can handle yourself, but putting all of you together in a volatile situation is usually a good way to start an all out war.  Which I am trying to avoid," he tapped a finger nervously against the file in front of him, scowling at it momentarily as he scanned a few lines.

            "What _is _that thing?" Yuusuke finally gave up trying to be discreet and all out demanded.

            "Just brushing up on my knowledge of ancient history," Koenma smiled again and avoided actually answering as he sat back down, steepling his fingers together to regard Yuusuke's blazing eyes and the other two youkai barely concealing their curiosity from his senses.  "There have been some minor issues that have seemed to be dredging up pieces of a few silly legends."

            "Such as?" Hiei tilted his head as he pondered what kind of punishment he would get for stealing a file off Koenma's desk, and whether or not the result would be worth it.

            _Not yet. we'll consider it if he gives us that smirk one more time though, _Kurama assured him with a slight frown.  _He knows something._

            _No shit,_ Hiei snorted.

            "Nothing to be of concern yet," he waved that off casually.  "Just a human soul-"

            "A girl?" Kurama arched an eyebrow, straightening slightly as he interrupted while Youko went perfectly silent in anticipation.

            "Actually, no.  A man," Koenma's brows furrowed, eyes turning more speculative as he regarded them.  "Why do you ask?"

            "Hiei recently found a human girl that he couldn't feel," Yuusuke answered when it was obvious Kurama wouldn't this time, leaning his hip on the desk and slanting a look down at the top paper while Koenma's attention was turned.  "Some sort of warm ghost."

            "You found an unprocessed ghost wandering in _that_ city?!" Koenma was on his feet, eyes wide and one eyebrow starting to twitch furiously.  "Dammit, Bo-!"

            "She wasn't a ghost," Hiei cut in before he could finish that bellow for the overworked ferrier, waiting until he was certain he had the deity's full attention before he expounded on that remark.  "She was alive, but she had no aura.  It was just an empty space that blended in completely with everything around it."

            Koenma's head cocked quizzically to one side, blinking as he tried to process that odd description, "That shouldn't be right.  All the artifacts that were capable of hiding a living aura like that were either destroyed back in the feudal ages, or they were collected and locked into highly protected vaults."

            "Hence our inquiry," Hiei folded his arms and waited for more of and answer than that.

            "You're certain it wasn't just a mistake?  Maybe it truly was a ghost possessing a human girl?" he shook his head and closed the folder, opening a drawer of his desk and stuffing it inside to make space for him to hop up and sit cross-legged on the surface.

            "My eyes can tell a ghost from a human," Hiei's eyes narrowed, lifting a hand to meaningfully press a fingertip to the white band wrapped across his forehead.  "That girl is not a spirit, a mononoke, or any other sort of intangible thing.  She was alive, and she was invisible to inhuman senses."

            Koenma sighed, reaching around him to sift through the other files and absently sort them for a moment before he answered, "Anything else?"

            "Her name is Kagome," Kurama offered when Youko prodded that bit of information they recalled.  "That's what her brother called her."

            Fingers drummed impatiently across the desktop as Koenma turned his gaze up skyward and murmured to himself, "Why do I recognize that name.?"

            Kurama and Hiei shared a look while Yuusuke reached out and grabbed the front of Koenma's shirt, "This is really getting old, brat.  Just 'cause you got bigger, it doesn't mean you can jerk us around!"

            "Touchy, touchy!  I ought to send you to Makai to clean up for manhandling me like this," he waited until he'd been released, smoothing a hand down the front of his shirt in an exaggerated motion.  "Anyhow, it's simply a name.  I think I saw it on a label or something."

            _'He's lying,' _Youko growled thickly.

            _I'm aware of that, but we can't exactly do anything at the moment, _Kurama reached up to tuck his hair behind his ear, letting his fingertips linger on the seeds hidden in the thick mass.

            _Except see how much he knows about this situation directly, _Hiei had a shrewd gleam in his eyes that only appeared when he was plotting something particularly sneaky.  "What about someone named 'Miroku?'  She seemed to think Kurama was a person by that name," he closed his eyes with a deceptive casualness that belied the way all his sense had attuned to Koenma.

            A stack of papers slid to the floor, bringing a string of blistering curses from Koenma as he hopped up and instantly tried to sort them all out while Kurama walked forward to help him.  He was muttering to himself as he gathered pages, stacking them haphazardly to set them back up on his desk and pin them all with a stern look, "You've all become overly paranoid if you think that everything is a conspiracy simply because things have been quiet lately."

            _This is a first. Koenma is usually the one suffering from paranoia, _Kurama glanced over the pages he'd helped collect, frustrated at seeing perfectly normal records on what looked like a human thief who'd died ages ago.  _Supervising reincarnations maybe?_

_            Whatever he's doing, he's trying to keep us from investigating that girl or this Miroku person, _Hiei's brows drew together slightly.  _Accusing us of his behavior pattern.  We should be disgusted._

"But I'll tell you what," Koenma set one hand on the small of his back and leaned back slightly until they all heard the distinct popping sound.  "If you're that bored, I have a job for you that could use your skills."

            _I have a bad feeling about this, _Kurama absently handed the loose pages back when Koenma held out a hand for them.

            "You'll love it," he assured them loftily, hopping back up onto the desk and grinning around his pacifier.  "You get to spend some time in Makai and kill things."

            _Here we go, bullshit mission to try and steer us away from the real situation, _Hiei would have smirked at having called it so accurately if he wasn't so irritated at having the proof they were being kept from something important.

            _I'm sure that the permission to randomly kill things in Makai will make up for your frustration,_ Kurama folded his arms over his chest, trying to soothe Youko when he started up a new rant about leaving his lover alone with a dog and a little brat kitsune for too long without his supervision.

            _Somewhat, but not completely._

            "It shouldn't take you too long," Koenma was saying, shuffling through all the pages impatiently until he finally came across the one he wanted and held it out to Yuusuke.  "I want you to locate this youkai, no matter what it takes, and make sure that he's still actually in that level."

            "Why?" Yuusuke scowled at him angrily, passing off the page to Kurama and Hiei.  "I don't have time for this, Koenma, I have a family now, you know.  Keiko'll skin me if I'm off on a wild goose chase and miss Ryou's birthday."

            "If you hurry, you should be finished in plenty of time to get back for that," Koenma turned up his nose.  "Honestly, Yuusuke, if you took your duties seriously you could have them finished in no time at all."

            "What do you expect us to do with this Musou if we do find him?" Kurama frowned when he noticed there were several portions of the page that looked to have been blanked out purposefully.

            "If you do see him, simply let him be and report back," he held out his hand, arching an eyebrow when Hiei refused to return it for few more minutes.  "I don't care if you kill any youkai in the way, but all I want you to do is be certain that he's still there."

            "Koenma-" Yuusuke started to growl, but the deity held up a hand to cut him off.

            "Humor me for once," his tone abruptly turned serious.  "It's very important for me to find out if he's within the Makai."

            "Why?" Kurama tilted his head ever so slightly to one side.  "Why only this one person?"

            Koenma sighed and leaned back again, stuffing the page back into the stack, "He may prove dangerous to one person in particular if he were to escape.  A carry-over obsession, if you will."

            "A carry-over from what?" Kurama pressed, just as irritated as Youko with all these half answers.  What in the hell could be so important that they were running around on an errand for a single demon inside Makai while Koenma purposefully kept them out of the loop for these investigations Kurabara was performing?

            "His life," Koenma gave him a look as though it should have been obvious.  "Now if you don't mind, the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll complete this mission," he made a shooing motion with one hand.  "We still have far too much work to do for me to be loitering around, so I'll have a portal ready for you outside."

            Hiei balked a little at being shuffled out of the office so rapidly, scowling at the oni who had stepped from seemingly nowhere to herd them out and taking satisfaction in their fear as they backed away.  He turned his gaze to Koenma's, determined to pass along without unnecessary words that he wasn't fooled in the slightest by the redirection, and that he wasn't intending to let this slide without a full explanation.

            Kurama caught his shoulder, giving him a slight tug to turn him away and follow Yuusuke out of the familiar office, _We have time.  Let's figure out where Musou fits into this mess, and then we can confront him over what's in that damn file._

_            'I'd rather know what legend he was researching,' _Youko added, trying in vain to turn Kurama's head back around to look behind them.  _'For a file that big, it'd have to be a hell of an important one.'_

_            Although, why he would actually be reading folklore doesn't make sense, _Kurama stubbornly refused to give into Youko's desire, focusing instead on where Yuusuke had stopped, arms folded and foot tapping impatiently to wait for their portal.

            _Unless something about it is true,_ Hiei's voice had a chill to it that had both Kurama and Youko in agreement when they glanced at him in mild alarm.  _Something that we youkai shouldn't know._

Kurama would have responded to that when the portal opened and Yuusuke stepped through, sighing and shaking his head as they followed him out onto one of the barren plains of the Makai.  He tried to ignore Youko's sigh of delight, the way he could feel his soul expanding and purposefully drawing in all the energy around them like a drug, but it was just too warm, too sensual for him to tune it out completely.

            _'It wouldn't be this distracting if you let me roll around in the woods, you know,' _Youko chuckled at him, highly entertained at Kurama's reaction and deliberately provoking it.  _'You were pushing it on how long we'd gone without soaking in what makes us strong.'_

            _That's enough, Youko,_ Kurama felt the blood rise faintly in his cheeks, his body growing too warm for a moment until it meshed inside him and settled out to a rather mellow echo.

            Yuusuke turned around, looking past them with a frown at the portal until it slowly closed in on itself and rippled away, leaving them alone before he looked down at the two of them, "What does the name 'Onigumo' mean to you two?"


	12. Set in Stone

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Ah… -reaches up and rubs the back of her head-  I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this one to turn out quite this long, but certain things had to happen before it was over and I didn't feel like cutting it in half.  Have to sweeten the pie, ne?  -laughing-  Anyhow, as always I must bow and blow adoring kisses to my reviewers for all their sweet comments and encouragement.  I lost a bet, but it's still worth it to hear that you're having fun with the story.  Enjoy!  ^__~

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Set in Stone~

            Kagome sighed, tugging ineffectually at the coil of concentrated ki wound over and over around her from her hips up to her ribs, "I'm setting a new record for times kidnapped in a single day, Sesshoumaru."

            "Technically, miko, the only time you may count yourself 'kidnapped' is when someone not within my control attempts to take you out of my reach," he replied matter-of-factly, slippered feet not making a sound as he carried her over his shoulder down the dimly lit hallways of the main house.  "Would such a thing ever occur, I would expect nothing less from you than every effort to free yourself and be waiting patiently for this Sesshoumaru's arrival to return you."

            "I can't move my arms," she pointed out, but the smile on her face carried over into her voice, making it impossible for her to accomplish the scolding tone she tried for.  Even if there was an ungodly amount of disdainful arrogance practically dripping off every word out of his mouth, the fact that he trusted her abilities to that extent proved just how highly he respected her.

            "Moving is not a requirement for you at the present moment."

            Kagome buried her face in the more modern kimono he was wearing, feeling her lips spread in an even wider smile as tears burned behind her closed eyelids, _I must be absolutely insane…  I'm actually happy to hear him ordering me around as though not a day has passed._

"You will also not cry for ridiculous reasons," Sesshoumaru instructed in a bland tone of voice, turning a corner before he reached for the shoji he'd waited for and pulled it open.  "I will not tolerate such weakness in my followers."

            "Hai, Sesshoumaru-_sama_," Kagome giggled, lifting her head to look down when a flash of white caught her eyes, and tilting her head to follow as the tip of his tail prodded the corner of the screen and slid it closed again.

            "It is your influence that encourages your idiot brother to be disrespectful," he walked further into the wide room, flicking a hand to light the line of candles leading down a set of wooden steps.  "I expect you to correct this aberration."

            "It's in his nature to play tricks on inu youkai," Kagome let out a long-suffering sigh, huffing to blow her hair out of her eyes when he shifted her enough to send the entire mass sliding down over her shoulder.  "Actually… I'd say it's kitsune nature against pretty much anything.  You know behavior patterns better than I do, being the 'perfect youkai' you are after all."

            "I have had to threaten to feed him to dragons more than once," there was a subtle note in his voice that easily displayed the depths of frustration he'd suffered in his care of one hyperactive kit over the long centuries.  Or rather, one that was easy to hear if one was extremely familiar with the stoic taiyoukai, "He no longer has a proper sense for when he should be afraid of becoming dismembered."

            Kagome's ribs expanded on another deep sigh, shaking her head and offering, "I'll try and speak with him on toning it down, but he's old enough that he might ignore anything I suggest just as much as he does yours.  It's kind of sweet that he feels safe enough to question you, isn't it?"

            "There is nothing 'sweet' about disobedience, but your presence alone should prove helpful," Sesshoumaru finally came to a halt, dropping his shoulder to allow her to slide down until he could catch her by the arms and drag her forward.  "You have been the topic of his whining since the day you were born."

            Kagome was well aware she probably looked ridiculous, dangling at least a foot above the ground with her arms pinned down by the humming whip as Sesshoumaru's cold, amber eyes moved over every inch of her from head to toe, searching for signs of injury or neglect.  It never failed to amaze her just how much the taiyoukai could take in with such a short amount of time, but all the same, there was no mistaking his perception, and it was one of the ways he showed his seldom-won affections.  She let herself relax when she felt the wave of youki flow down his arms and seep into her a little at a time, searching inside her just as completely as his eyes searched her appearance.

            "You should not have waited so long to connect yourself with us, Kagome," Sesshoumaru's voice was filled with disapproval as he finally lowered her to stand on her own, one hand still supporting her slight weight when she weaved unsteadily.  "There is less of you than there should be, and didn't your monk warn you after you finally ceased purifying yourself that you would have to be connected with us to retain your sanity."

            "Miroku-sama said I would need it to retain my energy," she corrected him absently, mind drifting in a lazy haze of pleasure at the thick feel of power wrapping around her like layers and layers of silken blankets.  "I listened more than you think I did."

            One elegant eyebrow kicked up, almost daring her to question his translation of the observations they had made so very long ago, "I believe he said that you would be less inclined to block yourself off if you had gone too long without allowing yourself to be… consumed by something with enough power to satisfy that greedy artifact."

            Kagome's eyes glazed over, turning a much more vivid shade of blue as she leaned her head all the way back to look up the distance to his own eyes, "I haven't let it get to that point since the first, Sesshoumaru.  I'm the one in control."

            "There was cause for concern as the timelines as we figured gained more and more discrepancy," Sesshoumaru turned her around to face the wall, pressing his hands to her shoulders and pushing to encourage her to kneel down on the thin, square mat centered in the archaic room.  "Was that simply because you were unable to ignore it's call any longer?  Were you attempting to forget your past, little miko?"

            She let herself be guided down, seriously considering his accusations against her admitted procrastination as his youki started to wind around her with enough strength that it whispered audibly past her ears.  He stayed perfectly immobile behind her, the air thick with expectancy until she sighed and murmured, "I was still grieving for the past, Sesshoumaru-sama.  I couldn't have handled finding myself alone."

            "All the more reason to find us," he pressed a claw to her skin where the neckline of her shirt drooped down to reveal the prominent ridge of her spine.  "If you didn't wish to be separated from your youkai ties, you should have opened your soul and let us come to you."

            "I didn't want to open my soul and have nothing come back to me," Kagome admitted in a low voice, hands clenching tight where they were still bound against her hips.  "Not again."

            "At least you remember that lying to will do you no good," she heard the rustle of clothing as he mimicked her position, close enough that she could feel the body heat radiate off him and comfort the aches and pains from her particularly eventful day.  His claws brushed against the sides of her neck as he closed one hand around it from behind, curling his fingers around her throat until he could feel her pulse pumping slow and easy under them, "What else will that stubborn miko brain of yours remember?"

            Kagome took a deep breath, forcing her overeager powers to subside under the blatant challenge in that hold and his voice that was sending chills down her spine, "It hasn't been five hundred year to me; I haven't forgotten anything that happened."

            Sesshoumaru chuckled and leaned forward, drawing in a deep breath to fill his nose with the distinctive scent only a select few were able to detect, "One might think you were avoiding rejoining the family on purpose.  Were you so eager to avoid this Sesshoumaru?"

            Her chin slowly dropped down to her chest, eyes focusing on the mat in front of her as the pristine white was marred by the sudden burn of a violet crescent into the material just beyond her knees, "You already know I'm not afraid of you."

            "Perhaps you didn't want to admit to your addiction," he let his lips tilt up at one corner when he felt her heartbeat begin to increase.  "There is an infinite list of excuses that I can come up with that may have prevented you from coming to me the moment you were returned."

            _Inus and their posturing, _Kagome would have rolled her eyes if she weren't so hypnotized by the symbols slowly fading to life on either side of that crescent in a wider arc, forming the beginnings of a circle across the mat.

            "I trust that I will not have to use literal instructions on what is expected in the future," Sesshoumaru's hand tightened a fraction, keeping her aware of her surroundings enough to respond.

            Her shoulders slowly lost all the tension holding them stiff, a warm smile crossing her face as she leaned back towards him and retranslated that comment before answering, "I missed you too, Sesshoumaru-sama."

            The whip finally retracted with a light crackle, making her shiver slightly as it snapped across her with a faint chastisement for the faint taunt in her voice, "You will remember that you are no longer dealing with low-blooded creatures, miko.  There is no need for you to vocalize things that are so obvious."

            "You're such an arrogant bastard," she chuckled, closing her eyes and all but ignoring the spreading symbols and the hand wrapped around her neck as she reached up over her head, clasping her hands together to stretch her spine.  "You're lucky I like you."

            Sesshoumaru actually snorted, reaching up with his other hand to grip both her wrists and pull them back to bow her back even farther until she sighed in contentment, "Are you trying to purposefully provoke my temper in order to rush me?"

            "Is it working?" she twisted to look back over his shoulder and smile up at him with exaggerated innocence.

            "No."

            "Didn't think so," she sighed with mock regret, sucking in a sharp breath when the images finally completed their circle with a bright flash.  Sesshoumaru tensed the same moment she did, brows lowering when he felt pain run through her stomach, spreading out a searing heat through her blood.

            "Breathe, miko," Sesshoumaru's voice cut through the nearly overwhelming haze filling her mind, slowly trying to push away her reason.  "There is no reason for you to lose yourself or your focus at this time."

            "I can't-" Kagome's hands clenched into a white-knuckled grip, her head falling back as though the muscles in her neck could no longer support themselves.  "Sesshoumaru, I-"

            "You do not wish to," he interrupted her in a low growl.  "This is the reason you should be punished for waiting so long, Kagome.  You know just as well as I do how dangerous it can be."

            Kagome felt him slowly relax his hold on her arms, letting her body roll down bonelessly until her head rested in his lap, "I'm tired."

            "This Sesshoumaru is aware of this," he looked down at her hands, waiting for the color to leave them before he slid his hands down her arms to cover them.  "Takashima tells me you were making eyes at a male kitsune."

            She blinked, distracted from the urge to sink down completely into the security of that whispering power, "Making-?  The man at the café?"

            "He asked your late husband's favorite question?" Sesshoumaru tilted his head, waiting for her eyes to open, if not focused, at least turned in the appropriate direction.  "The gods only know what it is about such tactless questions that attracts you."

            Kagome wrinkled her nose, "Mou… It's not like I can't say no just because they say it like that.  It just… makes me think of good memories."

            "There is a reason even my fool brother agreed that I should supervise your personal interests," his eyebrow kicked up at her continued insistence that it wasn't one of her greatest weaknesses.  "Your taste in male companions is deplorable."

            "You just called yourself deplorable," Kagome smirked drowsily, making a stubborn attempt to stay awake just a little longer.

            "Even you are intelligent enough to know this Sesshoumaru is the single appropriate ally you have made," his eyes gleamed as her when she seemed to sink back even more completely.  "But this conversation can wait until you have had a chance to reorient yourself and rest.  Trust that I will keep you protected until I am satisfied your health is restored."

            She drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes and letting it out slowly, "You just want to play with the Tetsusaiga." 

            "Sleep on your own or I will make you, miko," Sesshoumaru instructed with a hint of warmth to take the edge off the command.  "What I choose to do while you're sleeping is not your concern."

            Kagome chuckled softly, turning her face as everything around her blurred and melted away, "I think you would scare me if you ever changed, Sesshoumaru-sama."

            "You still have the habit of worrying over the most asinine things," one hand moved up until it covered her eyes, applying pressure at the temples to give her the last push.  "This Sesshoumaru will never change."

~*~*~*~

            "I have no idea what the hell it is, but it's the most disturbing thing I've seen for a long damn time," Yuusuke leaned back to look up the distance from the charred floor of the cave their search had landed them in, and up the tangled, fossilized mass of demons to the single figure on the top.  "Is this the Makai idea of art?"

            "Hardly," Hiei snorted in disgust at that idea, eyes narrowed as he slowly paced around the entire structure.  "It's a shell… but of what-?"  _This feels strange, Kurama, like there used to be incredible power within it, but it's gone now._

_            'How did I never find this thing?'_ Youko was nearly bouncing up and down in his eagerness to climb all over the bizarre artifact and familiarize himself with every inch of it.  _'Get up there, Kurama, let's get a look at the heart of it and see if we can figure out where it came from.'_

"What is it doing here, though?" Kurama absently told him to calm down, but did walk forward to lay a hand lightly on the smooth surface, pulling back to stare at his palm when a grayish film wiped off that section.  "That little oni told us this was the last place Musou had been seen before he was chased off by the youkai who claimed this mountain…  Was this what he was here looking for?"

            "Is this a person?" Yuusuke made a face, backing away from the section he'd been looking at and drawing their gazes around to what definitely looked like a humanoid figure frozen in macabre pose amongst the thick coils.  "This is sick, you guys, what can make something like this?"

            Hiei and Kurama both slanted him a look before Kurama reminded him, "Youkai view things in a different light than humans do.  This… looks like an attack of some sort that failed."  _Or succeeded.  If this was meant to be an example to others, I'd say it's a very… graphic one.  I'm impressed._

            _Maybe an attack on this human man? _Hiei leaned his head back, frowning up at the shadowed top of the entire mass.  _Or something else in the middle that we can't see?  Damn, I thought I knew of all the youkai with tastes like this._

_            'Will you get our ass up on top of this thing?' _Youko hissed out in frustration when his wishes continued to be ignored.  _'I'm telling you, Kurama, I've got a feeling what _we _want to see is up there!  This is what I'm good at, stop fighting me just because you're feeling pissy about lost time.'_

Kurama gritted his teeth, but finally swore and nodded, bending his knees and leaping upwards in a single graceful motion without a second thought to Yuusuke's swearing or the amusement coloring Hiei's thoughts, _I am not feeling pissy, Youko, I'm just not inclined to indiscriminately climb all over anything I find in Makai just because it's interesting.  That's a good way to get our tail bitten off._

_            'Good point… can't risk that until after we've stolen back our lover and made that baby,' _Youko drew a stroking hand down his soul to show just how pleased he was at Kurama's way of thinking ahead.  _'I'll forgive you this time.'_

            _You keep forgetting your 'lover' is in the hands of one of the most territorial types of youkai that exist, Fox, _Hiei pointed out, waiting to see if there was anything worthwhile atop this jumbled mess.  _By the time we leave Makai, it's highly possible you'll have to look elsewhere._

_'Whatever,' _Youko snorted, refusing to acknowledge his own fears regarding what the suspicious "Big Dog" would try to do to the girl he wanted before he had a chance to find her and take her away from him.  Instead he pushed down those thoughts and took over to turn their head,_ 'Now then… turn and- ah…_  _Well now.'_

_What is it? _Hiei tilted his head slightly to one side.

_If you thought that man down there was weird, you're going to love this,_ Kurama stared in stunned awe at the figure that appeared to be the focus of the youkai attack.  _There's a woman up here… there's a hole the size of my fist through her chest and she was… being consumed,_ he walked forward very slowly, reaching out to let his fingers hover over the place her arm should have been.

"Climb," Hiei glanced over at Yuusuke before he shot up to join Kurama on the crystallized youkai.

"Oi!" Yuusuke hissed up after him, grinding his teeth and making a face as he looked up.  "I am going to take the longest shower of my life after this," he felt around for a handhold and started pulling himself up bit by bit.

_'This is getting very interesting,' _Youko purred out, trying to convince Kurama to reach up and wipe gods knew how many centuries of dust and smoke out of her face.  _'Who was this person and why would there be so many youkai after her with such precision.'_

_More importantly, why would someone Koenma asked us to find be loitering around it?_ Hiei came into his line of vision, a frown twisting his expression as he reached up towards that hole, stopping right before he actually made contact.  _And what in the seventh level of hell could have made this?  They were tearing her to pieces, so what stopped them?_

"You could have yanked me up here, you know," Yuusuke muttered as his hand reached the top, dragging himself up and scowling at them both.

"And you could have jumped just as easily," Hiei turned a bland look on him, inwardly smirking at how well his instruction had influenced the human man.

He blinked and then shot up, stalking towards him and cracking his knuckles, "You little sonofa-!"

"This really isn't the best time or place for a fight," Kurama reminded them in a soft voice, oddly unwilling to let them go at each other's throats so close to this person.  "I'd rather figure out what this is and how it got here than watch the two of you beat on each other until you get bored."

Hiei simply shrugged, admitting silently that it had been his intention while Yuusuke continued to seethe until he glanced up and caught sight of just what Kurama had found, "What the-?!  That's a _girl!_"

_There are times that I wonder what it says about our intelligence that we allow this human to play leader, _Hiei turned just enough to hide his annoyed expression from Yuusuke, eyes turned skyward in a bid for patience.

_He has his moments,_ Kurama's hands lifted as though wanting to touch the woman's face, brow furrowed in confusion at the nagging sense of déjà vu that went through him every time he looked up at her.  _Given her condition, I'm willing to give his reaction the benefit of the doubt…  Just be thankful it's Yuusuke, can you imagine Kurabara's reaction._

            _That idiot would go off the handle with his 'codes' and whatnot, _Hiei shook his head, folding his arms over his chest as he looked down at the frozen faces of hate and rage making up the rising column.  _On the good side for us, I highly doubt Koenma expected us to find anything like this.  This pretty much guarantees we'll get more information that he wants to give us._

"How'd they get stuck like this?" Yuusuke interrupted the internal conversations, his eyes down as well, scuffing at one of the youkai heads with a foot before looking back up at the broken woman in her ancient armor.  "A youkai thing?"

            "Not any that I've seen before," Kurama shook his head, glancing at Hiei until the hybrid made a negative motion as well.  "There has to be something about this hole that answers at least part of what made this-" he trailed off, brows furrowed as he circled the imprisoned figure, eyes gleaming gold as they searched for… something.

            _'We'll know it when we see it,'_ Youko assured him, expanding their senses and trying to see what kind of creatures had been around this cave and this statue.  _'There has to be something here to help us.'_

"She _is _beautiful, isn't she?" the rich voice came from nowhere and everywhere, sending all three of them back into defensive positions in an instant, weapons ready and eyes searching the darkness for the source as it continued to echo off the shadowed walls.

            "Hiei?" Yuusuke gritted out impatiently, backing up until he felt his shoulders touch with his companions.

            "I'm looking," he shot back in a clipped voice, that statement -more than anything- saying just how dangerous this situation had become.

            Laughter bounced off the walls, unnaturally loud as it reverberated within the cave's acoustics and wrapped around them, chilling and seeming to hang thick against their skin, "You should know better than to try and rely on any youkai powers in this cave.  Even now, after her soul has been released, her corpse still holds such strength…"

            _When the hell did he get in here? _Kurama's eyes darted around the shadows until he finally managed to pinpoint one spot near the curve leading up and out, darkness made deeper by the faint glow acting like a backlight.  _Down there… by the entrance._

_            I see him,_ Hiei gritted his teeth, growing more and more annoyed by the minute.  _This is the third person I haven't been able to feel since we saw that goddamn youkai in front of Yuusuke's house._

There was a clicking sound, and then a bright flare of light as the youkai lounging against the wall below them struck a flint against the wall to catch a spark on the nearest torch.  His hand stayed poised, standing in profile and looking up at them over his shoulder with a curious demand gleaming in his dark eyes, "Is there a reason two strange youkai and a mostly human creature have come into my cave?  I'll warn you, if you've come to defile my miko, you won't live beyond your next breath."

            _'Miko?' _Youko went perfectly still.  _'Sent to Makai?'_

_            She couldn't have lasted more than a day or two, _Hiei's unblinking gaze followed the confident strides of the man below them, narrowing as he prowled closer with the same air as a serpent waiting for just the right moment to strike.

            "You haven't answered me,"             he reached up and flicked an errant section of dark, wild hair back over his shoulder.  "Why did you almost touch my miko?  Don't deny it… I could feel your hands hovering over her body."

            Yuusuke felt the faint rise of bile in the back of his throat, more than a little disturbed by the jealous intensity in the youkai in front of them, "Just what the fuck are you accusing us of, you sick bastard?!  You think we get off on this?" he gestured back to encompass the entire twisted mass.  "It's a corpse!"

            "You wouldn't be the first," he shrugged, pacing back and forth where he stood to be sure he had their attention.  "Youkai are always drawn to Midoriko and her descendants, hoping to increase their powers through their souls.  But they all die for the attempts."

            "Midoriko?" Yuusuke scowled, glancing at Kurama and Hiei when they seemed content to stare silently at the restless man.  "Is that her name?"

            The question pulled him up short, a frown creasing his perfect features for a moment as he tried to readjust his usual encounters to their ignorance, "What kind of creature are you if you don't know your own history?  How did you find this place?"

            "How did you?" Kurama took a step forward, stopping Yuusuke before he spoke as he slowly crouched down to get a closer look at their would-be attacker.

            Chiseled lips spread back in a slow, blinding smile, lifting a hand to touch his fingertips to his chin, "Destiny."

            Kurama had to grit his teeth against the urge to shiver in disgust over the way that single, softly whispered word coiled around his mind, more than willing to let Youko snarl in reaction and shake it off, "Destiny?"

            "Oh yes," he walked forward slowly, reaching out with that same hand to caress the face of the decimated man near the base.  "The falling of every generation from the great miko and down through her descendants has always been a man, a man willing to become youkai to catch her eyes.  But the cycle needs to come to an end, and how better to prove it than to find the beginning of it all locked away and lost in Makai?  Among the very demons she spent her lifetime exorcising…  Rather poetic, isn't it?"

            Yuusuke made an impatient sound, stepping forward to make the jump down onto the floor and scowl at the youkai more directly, "You'd better start making sense, you sick fuck, or I'm gonna be damn sure your soul dies right here."

            He turned to face Yuusuke, one brow kicking up arrogantly, "You want to add me to her collection?  You think you can when not one of her descendants has ever been able to end my existence?  However, I suppose you are welcome to make the attempt…  I haven't tried actually dying again."

            Hiei was in front of Yuusuke before he could take another step, holding him back while he watched the black ooze start to seep out of the youkai's palm to mold itself into long claws off his fingertips, "Don't, Yuusuke.  He's too eager to fight."

            _What does he want?_ Kurama stayed perched above them, oddly loathe with the thought of leaving the miko's corpse bared to this lunatic's hungry eyes.  _Who _is _this, and how does he know so much about a miko?_

"What are you?" Yuusuke's growled demand snapped Kurama out of his contemplation, watching the youkai carefully for his reaction when he started to pace a semi-circle around the two of them.

            "For the longest time I didn't know myself," he shrugged casually, folding his arms back behind his head as he continued to walk as though he was doing no more than discussing the weather with his friends.  "But that hardly matters once you reach Makai, does it?  This is the realm we're sent to when they want to forget you exist."

            _As much as I hate to admit he's right…_ Hiei drawled out reluctantly.

            _Focus, Hiei, _Kurama cut him off, letting more of Youko's skills open up to give him everything he could sense about the strange, vague youkai. _Whether he's right or not isn't the point._  

            _'This is not a natural youkai,'_ Youko wrinkled his nose in disgust, prodding at Kurama to get closer and let him take in the absolutely bizarre aura of this person.  _'Whatever it is…'_

            _That hardly matters either, _Hiei took a step back when it seemed as though the youkai would reach for him, but he only started to prowl back and forth again, eyes hard and calculating.

            "They should not have dared to take her away from me a second time," he was saying, eyes growing ever darker as the corner of his lip started to kick up in a snarl before he smoothed it back into a mild expression.  "Creatures just like you… I don't care who you are, but I will not allow your filthy hands to come in contact with my beautiful miko."

            "News flash, freak, your 'beautiful miko' is dead," Yuusuke shook his head and pointed up at Midoriko again.

            The smile that spread across the youkai's face in wake of that blatantly rude comment was unnerving, sadistic and filled with hundreds of unvoiced fantasies as he leaned forward and cupped Yuusuke's cheek in one hand, holding him frozen with his eyes, "Why is it that you humans never look below the surface of things?  I told you… her soul has moved on and found a new body."

            Yuusuke wanted more than anything to yank away from that hand, beat the shit out of this youkai, anything to get away from him, but his body was frozen, _What-?!  What the fuck is this thing?!_

The youkai would have leaned closer, but the katana resting against his throat made him pause, slanting a look down at Hiei and smirking as he backed down from the challenge in those blazing eyes, "So… that's how it is.  I see."

            "Not after I cut those eyes out of your head," Hiei's tone of voice never changed, leaning forward to press the blade deeper against the youkai's skin, just enough to break the surface.

            "You would only be wasting your energy," he shrugged, stepping away from the katana and lifting a hand to touch the blood before holding it up in front of his face and rubbing his fingers together lightly while the slice healed closed.  "I have a gift for fixing myself much faster than other youkai, regardless of the injury."

            _Not yet, Hiei… just keep him talking,_ Kurama hurried to intervene when Hiei took a step, obviously intent on making good with his threat.  _He knows how this Midoriko ended up half-eaten and frozen in Makai… make him tell us._

            Hiei hesitated for a moment, but finally sheathed his sword and sent a particularly frigid scowl to the unaffected youkai, "How did the miko die?"

            One brow kicked up and he made a show of leaning back to look up the spiraling column of youkai, "I can't imagine."

            Youko actually snickered slightly, _'He has a point… I mean… she_ is _obviously less than whole and wound in a mess of youkai intent on ripping her apart.'_

            _Yuusuke can still find out about the baby thing,_ Hiei warned, folding his arms over his chest and giving that youkai a look that said he could wait as long as it took to get the answers he wanted.

            "She killed herself before the youkai could devour her completely," he dipped his head to acknowledge that he intended to answer this time.  "Such is the price for sealing away untold hoards of purely evil youkai in one fell swoop," he held his hand up to her, eyes again gleaming warmly as he ignored their presence.  "She's such a sacrificing soul… she knew she wouldn't live through her attempt to save the pathetic humans crying out for her protection."

            "Why were they after her?" Yuusuke tried to push around Hiei, glaring at him when the hybrid proved completely immovable.  "Just because she was a miko?" 

            "Why else?" his voice lowered to that dark, silken tone again.  "Midoriko was the first of the line… the strongest miko to exist throughout history.  Letting her live to mother more like her would be sentencing youkai to death.  But then again, I had thought all youkai at least knew part of this story.  Even if they never manage to find my miko's cave…"

            He let that thought trail off into the taut silence, making his suspicions about just who and what they were as clear as day while he watched and waited for the slightest bit of movement from any of them.  The air around them thickened with menace as the youkai started to gather his energy, the smile on his face never changing as he let his intentions flash through his eyes, "Of course, I can't risk others passing along this information.  I like to have my privacy."  

_He was intending to kill us the entire time, _Kurama let out a mental snort, tightening his hand around his whip as they stayed poised in that stalemate.  _It's the only reason he spoke to us so openly._

_            If you're only just now realizing that, Kurama, I'm going to have to knock some sense back into your head when we return to Ningenkai, _Hiei's voice was dry enough for Youko to start rolling his eyes, muttering a few less than flattering remarks for Kurama's ears alone.

            "Nothing personal, you understand," that shadows around him seemed to come alive, roiling and curling in on themselves until they reached the floor of the cave and started to spread out towards Yuusuke and Hiei.  "I simply cannot allow you to live knowing the face of my miko, not until I can be free of this godforsaken place and find her again.  Now that I know that ha-"

            "_MUSOU!_" the bellow reverberated into the cave, furious and filled with violent promise as the clear sound of metal dragging sharply across stone had them wincing in reflex.  "Damn you!  I know you're in there, I can smell your stink spreading halfway up the mountain!"

            "Well, fuck me," Musou's expression twisted in revulsion, turning to scowl back towards the entrance, shaking his head with a sigh of regret.  "How am I supposed to have the time to kill you if he won't leave alone long enough to have a moment's peace?"

            Yuusuke slid back and turned slightly to whisper to Hiei, "Is there another way out of this cave?"

            "Aside from through them?" he stayed tense and ready even as Musou dismissed them to face what he clearly thought to be the more immediate threat.  _What about it, Fox?  Talk to your plants and get us a backdoor._

_            You say it like I can just magically find a plant in the heart of a Makai cave and make a door, _Kurama scowled down at him before his eyes closed, fanning out his senses to search for anything that grew naturally in their enclosed environment and could lead them to an exit.

            _Just finding an opening large enough for Yuusuke and yourself would be fine, _he watched intently as Musou seemed to ripple, dark spikes pushing up through his more "human" armor as he walked away from them.  _I could have been gone by now, and you know it._

"Come and get me if you want me to leave my miko, you worthless asshole!" Musou had raised his voice, bracing his feet wider apart as though he expected the attack to come through the mountain itself.  "You have yours, and I'm not giving up this one."

            "You gave her no peace in life, I won't let you torment her now either," that rough snarl was nearly muffled by the heavy pulse that shook the walls around them, dirt and debris raining down under the force of the unseen attack.

            _Now would be good, Fox,_ Hiei snapped up at him, trying to judge with his eyes if the entire cave was about to come down around their ears.

            Kurama's eyes opened, flashing gold as he moved to jump from the spiral only to pause and frown at this Midoriko for another frozen moment, _There's something-_

_            Kurama!_ Hiei put enough force behind it to make the kitsune jolt out of the strange enthrallment, shaking his head and making the jump to the unsteady floor.

            "There's an opening this way," Kurama motioned for them to follow, every muscle taut and begging to run out and join in when they heard the metallic shriek of metal on metal.  Still… running blind into a fight between the youkai they weren't supposed to have made direct contact with in the first place, and an unknown antagonist in a cave holding a grotesquely crystallized miko wouldn't be the most intelligent option no matter how well developed their powers were.

            "Damn it all," Yuusuke gritted out, vocalizing their collective displeasure as Kurama led them deeper into the gloom, following the thin vines and growing blankets of brackish moss spreading up the walls until a faint curl of warm air alerted them to the alternate escape.  "I am going to wring that bastard punk's neck for this!" he seethed, easing through after Hiei effortlessly slipped up the awkward path.  "Something serious is going on and all we're getting is bits and fucking pieces!"

            Kurama hesitated again with his hands resting on the pulsing stone, scowling back the way they had come as he heard the clash of swords and growling curses reverberating over and over off the vaulted ceiling.  Each dip and sway of the ground or shiver in the walls begged to be explored, to see just how that unnatural youkai fought, and more importantly _who_ he was fighting against.

            _'I agree with Yuusuke,' _Youko growled out, making his own frustration clear as they turned to follow.  _'And I'm getting damn tired of half-answers.'_

_            Koenma has to know who this woman was, _Hiei joined in the mental discussion to add his own opinion.  _He said it was an obsession they were worried about…_

_            Obsessed with Midoriko's soul, _Kurama set his jaw, giving an impression of gratitude to the plants that eased his climb._  But they'd have to be insane to grant that Musou reincarnation.  He's obviously a complete sociopath._

_            You enjoy human words a little too much,_ Hiei snorted, but at the same time agreed with that observation.  _Where do you want to go from here?_

_            It's time for another talk for Koenma,_ Kurama's eyes narrowed.  _Then we're going back to Ningenkai before any more time gets wasted.  I have a lover to steal back from a dog._


	13. Blissful Ignorance

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -grins- Ah, so the illusive characters start to show their happy faces… -sneaks off to hide from Kazusa-  I know you're getting antsy, but just be patient!  I swear they'll meet again very soon.  On that note, I must take my moment to thank all the lovely, lovely people who've sent me reviews.  Half the time I'm giggling myself when I hear about favorite parts and whatnot, and I'm really very delighted you're all having fun.  –bows and blows kisses-  You're the best!

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By Any Other Name 

~Blissful Ignorance~

            "Is there a reason you're skulking around outside my study without announcing yourself, Takashima?" Sesshoumaru didn't look up from the familiar sword laid out across his desk, his fingertips sliding up and down the apparently worn hilt like a caress.

            "You gave me a family name just so you could say it disapprovingly, didn't you?" Shippou sighed at the roundabout invitation to present himself and stepped into the study, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back casually against the doorframe.  "Kagome-?" his eyes searched until he found the small archaic symbol glowing iridescent violet just below the hollow of his throat.

            "The miko is sleeping deeply," he closed his hand around the hilt, lifting the sword and sliding it out of the scabbard with deadly grace.  His lips spread in a small, but highly satisfied smile as the blade of Tetsusaiga pulsed once before humming and letting itself be transformed, "If you wake her I will be… displeased."

            "Thank gods," Shippou blew out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a moment as he let his head loll back against the wood.  His lips spread in a wide grin, pushing away from the wall and reaching back to close the door behind him, "This means we can relax and finally start living our life like a real family again."

            Sesshoumaru took the blade through a few motions, relishing the weight in his hand and the feel of that long absent energy rushing through his veins to make that possible again, "You're implying our family has been less than adequate?  You've been neglected at some point throughout your growing years?"

            He made a face, walking towards the desk as he watched the smooth precision the taiyoukai used to sheathe the youkai blade before lying it back down with reverence, "You know I've got no complaints like that, but she was all I had for a long time when I was just a kit.  It's not a family for me without her there."

            "The loyalty you have for your adopted sister is particularly admirable coming from that kitsune brain of yours," Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a moment, lifting a hand to trail the tip of one claw around the edge of that gently pulsing symbol.  He slanted a knowing look to Shippou's face, taking in the absence of the boy's usual illusion as he let his irises flash deep scarlet, "This is the only reason I accepted taking over your care when you proved to be too difficult a child for the wolves with your pranks and unending energy."

            Shippou made a face, shrugging casually at the censure in his voice while he leaned his hip against the desk and looked down at his tail swaying back and forth just above the floor rather than meeting those too-intense eyes, "I'm not a wolf."

            "You aren't a dog either, but you fit in well enough once you understood I would not put up with your childish tantrums," Sesshoumaru smirked lightly at seeing the faint indications of body language that there were more unpleasant things on the kitsune's mind than his childhood.  "Did you leave your human brother alone with the monk's family?"

            "Kaze took him away to make sure he wasn't going to go into shock," Shippou grumped out, his tail taking up a more annoyed twitch while he reached up to habitually smooth his hair up to it's more common high ponytail.  "He said I shouldn't have showed him what I was so quickly when he hasn't really been exposed to youkai first-hand, but I still say it was Jaken's face."

            "Did the boy show signs of shock?" Sesshoumaru felt the fluttering agitation deep beneath his soul and carefully focused his energy on settling it down before he slowly sank down to his chair.

            "No," Shippou twisted his head at an awkward angle until his neck cracked loudly in the evening quiet of the house.  "I think he was just having trouble thinking that the little kit he saw in all Kagome's pictures was me.  I had to keep reminding him that it's been five centuries since those were taken."

            "Keep in mind that you are not the only over-eager youth flitting about the compound wanting to get better acquainted with the miko and her brother," Sesshoumaru set a finger to the center of his own forehead and focused on peeling away the layers of the distasteful human guise until he could feel his strength flare up to reshape muscle and bone appropriately.  "Even those humans within our 'pack' as easily excitable and want to have a chance to see what should be history instead of living in their present."

            When Shippou folded his arms over his chest and hunched up his shoulders, Sesshoumaru had to restrain his urge to roll his eyes, _Gods help me, I have a pouting kitsune camping on the corner of my desk._

            "I already knew you'd take Kagome when I brought her to the house, but you said I could spend some time with Souta and let him get used to me," Shippou was pointing out with a hint of a whine sneaking into his voice.  "If they're going to take over here then I'm going to stay with Shinju."

            "You were already planning to do so."

            Shippou's wide eyes snapped around to the bland expression on the taiyoukai's face, startled and dismayed until his mind caught up with the accusation and flooded his cheeks with embarrassed color, "You are the creepiest youkai I have _ever_ known."

            "I find that an unsettling claim when I think of all the filthy creatures that have crossed your path in the past," his stance never changed, but something in those golden eyes deepened the disdainful vibes enough to make the kitsune fidget.  "However, if you don't want me to tell you what you are thinking, I suggest you try to be less transparent."

            "I'm not transparent!" Shippou jumped to his feet, pressing a hand over his heart dramatically.  "I'm the best investigator you've got!  No one can see through me when I'm under my illusions; they're perfect!"

            "This Sesshoumaru expects no less," he leaned back, reaching up to rest his hand over his tail and regard Shippou's determined expression.  "Now you will explain the reasons behind your behavior, and if you continue to fidget in that obnoxious fashion, I will stop you myself."

            He opened his mouth to deny it, but that eyebrow kicked up again and he instantly backed down, swearing under his breath as he finally reached his hand down his shirt to pull an envelope from yet another of his enchanted "pouches" and hold it out, "The proofs came back on those two youkai you had me image.  I wanted to make sure Kagome was really asleep before I showed them to you."

            Sesshoumaru's brows rose slightly at the way Shippou's jaw had clenched, emotions swirling in his azure eyes as he waited for it to be accepted, "I take it you were unable to resist the urge to look inside?"

            "I know you told me not to, but I had a bad feeling," Shippou didn't even balk at having his willful disobedience out in the open, unconsciously widening his stance and folding his hands behind him in the practically militant stance Sesshoumaru had drilled into him since he was a child.  "You aren't going to like them."

            Sesshoumaru frowned at the uncommon seriousness that had melted away all the childish pouting and instinctive playfulness as he flicked the clip open to reach inside, "Both of them?"

            Shippou shook his head, "Mostly about the kitsune who tried to proposition Kagome."

            "Oh?" his eyes filled with hard speculation, sitting up as though the relaxation of a moment ago had never been and pulling out the glossy pages to stare at the top image for a moment in complete silence.

            "See what I mean?" Shippou urged, leaning forward and bracing his hands on the desk, mouth set in a hard line when he heard the hiss of Sesshoumaru's poison starting to burn at the paper.  "This is the _worst_ thing that could have possibly dropped out of the sky to fuck with us!  Can you imagine what Kagome-?"

            "Under no circumstances is your sister to see these photos, is that understood?" Sesshoumaru cut him off, never lifting his gaze.

            Shippou closed his mouth with an audible click, straightening his spine and giving him a tense nod, "Of course I understand."

            "If he attempts to show her this, you are to take every method at your disposal to get her away from him," he set the photos down with over-exaggerated care, spreading them out with his fingertips and inwardly scowling at the over-laid images the spells had developed.  When still more telltale poison seeped from his claws to eat away parts of the picture, he leaned back and pressed his fingertips together, "If you have to throw her over your shoulder and run, do it.  Just stop him." 

            "Am I interrupting?" Shinju murmured from the doorway, drawing their attention up and away from the fanned out photographs.  "Sorry, but the door wasn't latched.  I assumed-"  
            "Don't ramble, houshi, it's unbecoming and too similar to Takashima's behavior," Sesshoumaru sighed, turning his head to the side so they wouldn't see him roll his eyes at the timing the beings around with had seemed to all come cursed with.  "And come in before you draw more curious eyes than your own."

            "Don't worry about that, Souta asked Kaze to show off with Hiraikotsu, so they're out back cutting more wood than even this house could need in a year," Shinju grinned and made a placating motion with his hand.

            Shippou's brows rose, "That's new… you're letting someone else throw it?"

            Shinju shrugged, walking forward and tilting his head to regard the pictures they'd been discussing when he passed the door, "Who am I to begrudge my poor cousin the chance to practice with his ancestor's favorite weapon?  So what is Kaa-san not supposed to see?"

            The two youkai shared a look before Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, gripping the Tetsusaiga and carrying it with him to stand in front of the open shoji and stare out at the moonlight in a silent command for Shippou to take over the discussion.  Half his attention trained backwards while the rest turned out to the night, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath of satisfaction at finally having tied up the loose ends that had been bothering him for so many long centuries.  Still… he reached up with his free hand to lightly rest on his tail, letting his lips curve up in amusement at the reluctant tone in the kitsune's voice.

            "This is that guy who pulled the question," Shippou was right back to sitting half on the desk, dragging the clearest photo down to tap at it impatiently.

            "He's a sil-oh," Shinju looked up at Sesshoumaru, blinking in mild surprise.  "I guess that part's true then?"

            "Inuyasha started it," Shippou blew out a frustrated huff and idly scuffed his toe on the floor.  "Big Dog made it worse…"

            "The hanyou carries the blame for her obsession with ears," Sesshoumaru's voice was bland, but his hand clenched tighter around the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

            "The tail is all you," Shippou started to remind him, hunching down and winding his own tail around his waist in an instinctive attempt to protect himself when that got a particularly disapproving stare sent his way.  "So I helped a little… a very little!"

            "No miko should be so fond of youkai like kitsunes," Sesshoumaru growled and shook his head, turning to scowl back out at the moon.  "Do not think your actions towards your sister escaped this Sesshoumaru.  Your very nature is to deceive and manipulate everything around you to your own advantage."

            "But we're good in bed."

            "If I pretend those words did not leave your lips, you may pretend that you aren't going to have to re-grow one of your tails by the end of the month," he glared at Shinju when the monk snickered behind his hand.  "And you… this is in confidence, houshi.  If you ask her, she'll deny that she has any sort of weaknesses as far as carnal attachments, however…"

            "She has a thing about petting and brushing," Shippou finished, absently fluffing his tail.  "And ever since those two, if it's silver hair it's even worse, she can't keep her hands out of it."

            "Then… this is quite a problem," Shinju lifted the print, rubbing his chin with his free hand and frowning.  "But if he remains in this human form and she doesn't see all this, won't it be easier for her to tell him to leave?"

            "Hence, our omniscient ruler rendered his commands to-"

            "I can still show you what it looks like to see through your own stomach," Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed scarlet, startling Shinju enough that he probably would have fallen over if not for the restraining hand Shippou put on his arm.

            "Nothing for you to worry about," he whispered to Shinju comfortingly.  "It's pretty normal after-"

            "Takashima."

            Shippou winced and folded his arms over his chest, "There you go… the whole punitive tone thing again.  I have a first name, you know, not just that one.  Honestly-"

            Sesshoumaru turned around completely, one eyebrow kicking up in a silent, but even more effective warning that had both men backing away from him in a show of submission rather than risk whatever punishment lurked in those unreadable eyes.

            Shippou cleared his throat, shifting from foot to foot and looking back at Shinju to answer his last question in a more subdued voice, "Sesshoumaru wants to get rid of them quickly… Except we can't kill them because they seem to be working with that first-level Urameshi, and we'd only make ourselves look like a threat to Rekai.  So if we can get Kagome to lose his interest before she has a chance to see he's a triple whammy who asked the one and only question guaranteed to make her go all smushy-"

            "I will not allow a creature like this to use my miko's affections for his own gain," Sesshoumaru traced a claw down the battered hilt of his father's sword yet again, unable to resist drawing it out and feeling his palm warm under the steady pulse.  "And I will have Inuyasha send a message to them that I will not hesitate to kill their pet youkai if I feel her safety is threatened."

            Shinju lifted his hand in a gesture of respect, bowing his head to acknowledge the heavy waves of power flowing from both the taiyoukai and the blade he held out from his body in a flawless warrior's stance, "You know where our loyalties rest, Sesshoumaru-sama."

            He nodded once, turning his eyes up to the moon and letting the feel of all the youki tangling around the Tetsusaiga send a deep hum of satisfaction through him, "Bring me the boy.  It's time he learned his place among his previously silent benefactors."

* * *

  


            "Don't give us this bullshit, Koenma, we were _there!_" Yuusuke slammed his hands down so hard on the desk that every single paper stacked on the surface went scattering to the ground.  "We saw that miko and that messed up, freaky youkai!  What the _fuck_ is going on?!"

            Koenma chewed on his pacifier nervously, looking down at the papers and back up at the trio standing in unconscious formation to intimidate the temporary ruler, "You're certain Musou said it was Midoriko-sama that you had found?"

            "Have all the years of listening to Yuusuke yell made you deaf, Koenma?" Hiei's eyes narrowed sharply, waiting for their eyes to clash in a silent battle of wills.  "Who is Musou and why did you send us to verify his location?  And how is he linked to this misplaced miko?"

            "How did a miko even get to the Makai?" Kurama folded his arms over his chest, his own gaze calculating and frigid as he eyed the way the apparent teenager continued to fidget and look away.  "You had to have known that sending her to that place would get her killed before-"

            "Midoriko-sama was dead and crystallized long before her body was removed to Makai," Koenma interrupted softly, not looking at any of them as he pressed his hands down on the arms of his chair and tucked his legs up underneath him.  "But there were too many distortions and breakdowns around that… thing when we allowed it to remain in the Ningenkai.  We hid it to protect the humans from the youkai who kept trying to escape and find her gravesite."

            "You didn't think this was something we should have heard about?" Yuusuke waved a hand around expansively, barely noticing that Hiei had to duck or be backhanded in the face.  "What is she and _why_ all this shit now?"

            Koenma sighed heavily, slanting them a serious look and admitting, "We don't know."

            "Koenma-!" Yuusuke started, only to break off when the deity held up a hand to stop him.

            "Let me finish," he pinned him with a hard glare and rose to his feet.  "This started a decade ago, but right when we thought we were close to finding out what was happening… everything just… disappeared."

            "What started?  And what do you mean disappeared?" Yuusuke unconsciously mimicked Kurama's pose, his eyes reflecting his confusion.  "What does a miko have to do with us?  With anything!"

            Koenma sighed and -to their alarm, actually started to pace, "That's part of what we don't know.  But you were busy then… the Tournaments and all, it wouldn't have been in our best interests to add on that we were detecting strange youkai energies popping up at random in the Ningenkai.  They went away and never threatened anyone, but it… seemed to agitate the feel of all the youki around it whenever it appeared."

            _'Why that… just because we were doing other things didn't mean we wouldn't have liked to hear about something like that!' _Youko bristled, rising Kurama's hackles at the suggestion they couldn't handle more than one problem at a time.  _'We're not children, we can focus on more than one problem.'_

            "You didn't think it would serve you better to handle this situation when it first appeared?" Hiei's eyebrow kicked up, mocking the poor course of action and what seemed to be coming down on their heads for the decision.  "Before it turned into this?"

            They could have sworn Koenma's cheeks turned pink just as he turned his back on them and tilted his head up to look skywards at some undetermined space rather than the three accusing pairs of eyes, "We thought it fixed itself.  About six years ago it disappeared completely."

            _Koenma is not stupid enough to think that out of sight is out of mind,_ Hiei wasn't even aware of the tension humming through him, hands clenching and unclenching in gesture of just how impatient he really was with everything that had happened.  _He's still playing games with us._

"I take it that this means it returned?" Kurama pressed, letting his eyes dart around the papers on the floor to scan for something to "borrow" that would give them more useful information.

            Koenma's shoulders slumped just enough to be noticeable, "A year ago it returned, but this time it was only for a moment and with the same scale of distortion as Midoriko-sama.  We have no idea why or how."

            Youko rolled his eyes, absently noting the same impression came from the little youkai he loved to torment so much, _'Oh for fuck's sake… what did he think would happen?'_

            _Find anything? _Hiei shifted his weight purposefully, drawing Koenma's gaze when the deity glanced back over his shoulder, intent on giving Kurama more time to search.

            _Maybe…_

_            Be sure,_ Hiei ordered crisply.  "What does this have to do with these youkai existing outside the barrier?"

            "So far?  Absolutely nothing," Koenma shook his head.  "And we want it to stay that way.  Youkai are willing to die and kill indiscriminately to try and get near that damn corpse; I don't want to think of what they would do to a source that could grant the same powers from a living being.  They wouldn't think twice of taking that person apart to try and learn its secrets the same way they tried to do with Midoriko-sama's body."

            "There's something huge going down and you're trying to keep us out of it," Yuusuke accused him again, leaning over the desk to restart their staring contest.  "This is all mixing together too much to be coincidence.  What's the real reason Kurabara's working for Takeharuka, Koenma?  Does he not ask you the wrong questions?"

            Koenma's eyes narrowed fractionally at the suggestion that he'd used the other human solely for such underhanded tactics, "In case you've forgotten, Yuusuke, _you _were the one who told me numerous times that I should remember you have a life outside working for me.  Kurabara was available and willing."

            "That's not an excuse to hide this shit from us on purpose!" his voice rose enough to make Youko wince behind the safety of Kurama's bland expression.  "It's because he doesn't have any youkai blood in him, isn't I?"

            "He's the least suspicious person to send into a group of them like that, just like I told you," Koenma shot back, coming to his feet to get face to face with his most temperamental detective.  "These youkai survive where they do by staying hidden no matter the cost, get it?  The chances that they'd accept any youkai that's the slightest bit unfamiliar are slim and none!"

            _'Sonofabitch…'_ Youko drawled out suddenly, mostly tuning out the shouting match as his eyes caught on a thick stack of paper that had fanned out like a deck of cards when it struck the floor.

            _What did you find? _Hiei demanded, shifting his weight back just enough to take him out of Koenma's direct line of sight.

            _My left, _Kurama looked at it for a moment more, showing Hiei exactly which pages he was indicating.  _That entire stack is about mikos and that one in the cave._

_            Distract him._

_            Done,_ Kurama unobtrusively nodded, unfolding his arms as he moved to stand beside Koenma, forcing him to split his attention and narrow his focus to only the two of them.  "You certainly act like you know everything about a race you claim to have little use for," he let his eyes gleam just enough to pass off as nothing but imagination.

            "Kurabara informs me that there are employees who possess holy powers similar to monks and mikos of ancient times," he stared hard at the kitsune for a long moment, trying to gauge how much of Youko he was speaking with.  "Are you in that much of a hurry to get purified?"

            "You still haven't explained what part that freak Musou plays in all this," Yuusuke reminded him, unwilling to admit that Koenma had made a logical point.  Not enough to balance all the secrecy, but still…  "Why was it so important to be sure he was in Makai?"

            "The truth would be a nice change," Kurama challenged, senses humming as he felt Hiei blur behind him.  "What exactly is he and how is he connected so personally with this Midoriko?"

            For a moment it looked as though Koenma would refuse, but he finally sighed and dropped back into his chair, tucking one knee up to his chest while his eyes gleamed with frustration, "Musou is a by-product… left over from a human thief and thousands of youkai.  Until we find out how he survived, or at least disconnected himself from them, we have to be sure of where he is."

            "Explain disconnected," Kurama's brows furrowed.  _If there were thousands… it would be difficult but not impossible to break away._

"That human merged himself into a single entity with those youkai, allowed them to devour his body and soul for that purpose," Koenma sighed and looked down mournfully at the scatter papers under his feet.  "They made themselves into a hanyou who called himself Naraku and basically attempted to become a god.  At least until he was purified into oblivion by a miko using her powers in conjunction with youkai."

            "Conjunction?" Hiei repeated dryly, right back in his original position and tapping the tip of his middle finger on his hip in a silent message to Kurama that he'd succeeded.  "No miko would have dirtied her hands with the 'lower creatures' in the any time, let alone right before the barrier."

            "You don't have to believe it, but it's our information," he frowned at the hybrid in annoyance.  "The only problem we have with _that_ miko is that no one seems to remember her name or what she looked like."

            "She's a miko, why would you expect youkai to care about those kinds of details?" he scoffed at the idea.

            "Not just youkai, Hiei, the souls of the humans alive in the right time period won't tell us anything either," he bent down and started gathering up the closest papers.  "Not to mention we have absolutely no files fitting a miko that lists the activities that are accredited to her existence."

            "What the hell?" Yuusuke blinked in disbelief, looking at Kurama and Hiei before rounding on the temporary ruler again.  "They're obviously lying!"

            "I know that, but I can hardly _make _them talk," Koenma glared up at them.  "They're innocent souls and that would break my own rules."

            "_I_ could make them talk," Hiei offered with a smirk.

            "Absolutely not."

            _'He's no fun,'_ Youko snorted in disgust.  _'Our way is more effective.'_

_            No waves, Youko, we want to get out of here easily and look at these pages, _Kurama reminded him.

            _'Right, right… let's go.'_

_            With_out_ being suspicious,_ Kurama reined him in firmly.  _I want to get this over with so we can steal our lover too, but we have to take our time somewhat.  We won't get another chance if we screw any of this up._

_            'We're going to have to take an extra long bath with her when we get her away from the dog,' _Youko sighed dreamily, sending images drifting through Kurama's mind of all the things they could do in that particular bath.  _'They have such a distinctive aroma that they love to get all over everything they think belongs to them.'_

_            Do not go off in a fantasy, Kurama, _Hiei gave him an impatient, mental prod to snap him out of it.

"I really don't have time for this, and I've told you everything that we have so far," Koenma was saying, stacking the papers and setting them aside to reach for more in his efforts to straighten up before more files got dumped on his desk to be processed.  "Go home to your family, Yuusuke, and you two-" he pointed at Hiei and Kurama, "do _not_ stir up these youkai until we have all the information we need, is that clear?"

            "Crystal," Hiei's expression never changed, holding Koenma's suspicious gaze until the deity gave up and turned away.  _Let's go, Fox… before he thinks of something else to throw at us for distractions._

_            'He's trying to get rid of us too, Kurama, I'd say that's good enough,' _Youko fidgeted inside him.  _'Let's go back and get to tracking down that fucking kitsune punk and finally getting around to taking back our lover.'_

"We expect to hear an update soon, Koenma," Yuusuke's voice was disturbingly serious, drawing a surprised look not only from the deity, but his friends as well.  "This is happening in _my_ neighborhood, close to _my_ sons and Keiko.  If you expect me to let you decide what I need to know in this situation, you'll find out how fucking wrong you are."

            Koenma blinked silently, holding up to the unblinking stare for another minute before he looked away, "I swear I won't put your family in any danger, Yuusuke, and the next time Kurabara has any information, I'll be sure to send him to your house."

            Yuusuke's hands clenched and he nodded stiffly before turning on his heel to stalk out, while Kurama and Hiei hesitated enough to scowl their own displeasure with the way they were being handled, _He's still not telling us everything._

_            I'm fully aware of that, Kurama,_ Hiei turned to follow Yuusuke out, not wanting to waste any more time when they could be going over the 'borrowed' pages.  _If we want answers, we're going to have to get them ourselves this time._

            _'He's getting lazy if he's annoyed at doing it the old fashioned way,'_ Youko whispered to Kurama, not wanting the hybrid to hear and make off with their prize before they read it.  _'Victory tastes the sweeter the harder you have to work for it,' _he raised his 'voice' for Hiei's benefit.

            _I amazed that you didn't-_

_            'Just think of how delicious our lover will be,' _Youko hadn't even let the hybrid finish before he turned his attention away with a happy sigh, rolling his fantasies around gleefully in his head again as they moved through the portal to the Ningenkai.

            _It would serve you right if she turned you down_, Hiei rolled his eyes now that they were again safely away from prying eyes, reaching into his shirt to pull out the file.

            _We won't let her, _Kurama's eyes held a determined gleam.  _We agree on her, and we can take care of any human girl better than some random asshole.  We said she would have our baby, and we'll do whatever it takes to convince her to agree._

Yuusuke turned around as soon as the portal closed, mouth open to speak when his eyes moved down to the rolled papers in Hiei's hand, "What the hell is that?"

            "Courtesy of Koenma," Hiei informed him blandly.

            "You stole files?" his brows shot up in alarm.  "Hiei-!"

            "I will return them when I'm finished," he shrugged that off.  "If you're so concerned, Kurama and I will view them without you."

            Yuusuke gritted his teeth against the gratingly chiding way the shorter demon could tone his voice while still sounding bored out of his skull, arguing with himself for a moment before he swore under his breath and reached out, "Give me that."

            _Hiei? _Kurama frowned in confusion when he released the documents without a fight, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back against the wall of the alley they'd kicked out at.

            _If Yuusuke is the one who reads 'classified' information out loud to us, how can we be punished for hearing?  We merely happened to be close enough to Yuusuke to unconsciously eavesdrop._

Kurama blinked, feeling his lips twitch while Youko snickered in the back of his mind, _You're an evil, manipulative little bastard._

_            High praise coming from a kitsune,_ Hiei taunted, but before they could really get into their latest insult war, Yuusuke muttered something intelligible under his breath and pointed to get their attention before repeating it again louder.

            "What the hell is a Shikon-no-Tama?"


	14. Safety in Solitude

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -chuckle- Ah yes, the question I should have expected… the unfamiliar spellings.  Sorry, but I'm generally a bit of an anime/manga purist, and the Americanization of little unnecessary things tends to annoy me.  Original manga hiragana translates to the romanji that I use, but given the difficulty our language has of properly pronouncing various sounds, names and words get butchered when they're retranslated.  Personally, I like the sound of things the way they were at first cut, so… -shrugs-  I know it's kinda silly, but it's an old habit I can't shake after all those classes.  –giggling- Blame it on Yamada-sensei.  ^__~  As for the plot questions, you don't _really _think I'll give up any spoilers, do you?  Can't be adequately evil if I settle out nerves before it reaches that point of the story.  

And as ever, I have to thank you all for your reviews.  I'm a bit floored that I've been getting so many responses telling me how much they love my story. –blushes and giggles-  I have at least three addicts and Sylvannastar sent me the most beautiful email with a surprise!  And I wonder if I should be silly and give Gravidy something special for being number 100…  -uber glomps all around-  It's…all very unexpected, but thank you so much.  I really do adore you all.

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Safety in Solitude~

            The ride home was as uneventful as one would expect considering Shippou had refused to ride back with Shinju, instead piling into the already cramped backseat of Sesshoumaru's car.  He spent most of the lengthy ride half on top of Kagome while the silent taiyoukai kept one arm loosely around her waist even though his full attention seemed focused on his open laptop.  Souta had watched over his sister as unobtrusively as possible from his own place flattened against the door, unable to restrain his amusement at the… enthusiasm the kitsune was showing in her company.

            Sesshoumaru had forcefully calmed him down once, managing to look just as domineering and coldly sophisticated in his human guise as he had when Souta had first seen him last night.  He never raised his voice, never cracked that stoic expression for more than a split second at a time when he was highly amused by something Souta had done.  

More than once he'd found himself looking back and laughing at his childish idea that Inuyasha was the most impressive creature that existed in modern Japan, that particular thought having fallen out of his head the moment he'd entered the study to find this youkai looming against the open shoji.  Not that he thought any less of his longtime idol, he just had a much healthier respect for the hanyou's imposing older brother.

            It was strange to see him without the distinct markings, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes as he watched Kagome slide her fingers through the midnight black hair with a mournful expression.  _She really does have an unhealthy obsession with his hair,_ Souta turned to look out the window as they pulled up the drive that would lead them to the living quarters behind Shinju's temple.

            Still running just as hyper as Kagome remembered, Shippou was the first one bounding out when the car stopped, crawling over Souta to do it and making a big show of taking in a deep breath of air, "Ah… Nothing like the feel of that weird holy tingle first thing in the morning."

            He'd barely started to turn back towards his fellow riders when a shakujou almost identical to Miroku's came down on top of his head, making him yip like a wounded puppy for a moment while Kaze sighed and ordered impassively, "Be more respectful, Shippou."

            "Why did you have to turn out boring and serious?" he lamented, rubbing his head and making his eyes as bit and liquid as possible while the others exited the two cars at a more leisurely pace.

            "You and Shinju have turned out silly enough for the entire family," Kaze snorted, walking past him and reaching into the car after Souta scrambled out.  "There must be balance in the universe somewhere or Okaa-sama's head would explode."

            "She dealt with more than this for a lot longer and she turned out fine," Shippou protested when Sesshoumaru handed her out to the waiting hands to be steadied before he could emerge to handle it himself.

            "Comparatively speaking," Kaze's violet eyes sparked with wicked amusement while his expression stayed perfectly bland.

            "Check the grounds, Takashima," Sesshoumaru interrupted when he saw the kitsune open his mouth to start an argument.  "Make sure that nothing has tried to get in while we have been occupied elsewhere."

            Shippou set his jaw, but deflated and nodded obediently, "Yes, sir."

            Kaze chuckled when the kitsune stomped off, reaching out to grip Souta's forearm and pull him towards the temple, "Sesshoumaru-sama would like a moment alone."

            Souta watched with a blank sort of confusion as Shinju and Ankoji bowed, the latter embracing Kagome tightly before treating him to the same and getting back into the car with Jaken.  Shinju murmured something quietly that earned him a smack over the head through the open window, chuckling and humming to himself as he trailed behind his cousin and uncle.

Sesshoumaru waited until Shinju pulled the shoji closed behind them, Jaken starting the car and driving a few feet away until they were standing in relative solitude, "Do not fool yourself into believing you are completely restored after a single night."

Kagome ran her fingers back through her hair in nervous gesture, nodding in agreement, "I know."

His eyes slanted up to the screen when he saw it slide open just enough for Souta to peek through, expression anxious and concerned, sighing as he took a step closer to her until she had to crane her neck to look up at him, "You will teach your brother that I am the only creature you are allowed to stay with privately.  My patience for unnecessary spying is even less now than it was in the past."

"I warned you that he has a complex," Kagome offered with a hint of sadness creeping into her eyes.  "He's afraid I'll disappear."

Souta's hand tightened when that hopelessly beautiful "human" who made his sister smile so dazzlingly again cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her face up before bending to press a kiss to her forehead.  _Inuyasha's half-brother…the head of their- of _our_ family, _he corrected his thoughts in a hurry as he recalled the implacable instructions he'd received on his first meeting with Sesshoumaru. 

            Never in his life had he known a creature as direct as the taiyoukai, glancing at the kitsune walking slowly into his range of vision, along the edge of the temple grounds and every so often sparking with unnatural blue flame.  Shippou turned when he felt eyes on him, grinning wide enough that Souta could practically see all his teeth, and waving for a moment while her little brother mulled over just what his sister had gotten herself into.

            *_"I see her in you," Sesshoumaru's eyes never blinked, expression never changed, and Souta squirmed where he sat across from the unfamiliar faces.  "I thought the two of you looked dissimilar to each other?"_

_            "I… grew into it," Souta offered, unsure about why that comment seemed to demand an answer from him.  "Our hair gets darker when we get older," he felt like an idiot saying something so mundane, but he didn't know what else to do to fill the awkward silence, glancing at Shinju for support.  "We both took after our father."_

_            He leaned back, eyes wide in alarm at the smile that ghosted across the youkai's features before he informed him, "I am aware of this, boy, just as I am aware of everything that involves my family."_

_            "What does our family have to do with yours?" he asked in genuine confusion._

            Shinju's hand squeezed his uncle's shoulder, watching Shippou grin and Sesshoumaru reach up to touch that symbol again before the taiyoukai answered, "The Higurashi family has belonged to this Sesshoumaru since the miko swore her allegiance in Sengoku Jidai.  Such promises are not made lightly… or will you refuse to honor the oath of your family…?"*

            Souta looked over at Kagome again, still amazed that she behaved so casually and affectionately to a man who barely spoke beyond passing out his orders with all the arrogance of a damiyo, or even an emperor. Yet, no matter what Sesshoumaru said or did, his sister stayed perfectly unaffected by his frigid moods.  On the contrary, she was practically glowing with health after the night she'd spent gods only knew where inside the formidable house with only him for company.

            _Maybe that's what annoys me…_Souta blew out a sigh, sticking his tongue out at Shippou when he noticed the knowing look on his face.  _Not twenty-four hours and she's sparkling more than anything I managed in a year, and he seems to be a complete asshole.  Why is it always the bad tempered ones that make her so comfortable?_

"This a temporary reprieve only, miko," Sesshoumaru was informing her in that same 'question me and die' tone Souta had had more than enough of already, purposefully speaking loud enough for his voice to carry.  "If my schedule for the week was not already so chaotic, I would not be allowing you to got back to your duties in this human temple yet."

            "I'm not going to dissolve just because you can't see me," Kagome rolled her eyes, rising up on tiptoe to be able to reach high enough to brush that silky hair out of his face, letting her fingertip trace the shape of his hidden crescent once before she lowered herself back down.  "I haven't gotten attacked in almost two years.  Look at me, Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm all shiny and glowing!"

            "You are not 'glowing' enough, and you are entirely too thin," he informed her haughtily, but didn't more away from her lingering touch.  He lapsed into silence, but his eyes locked onto her own, speaking the warning to her soul that he didn't voice out of respect for their ignorant audience, _Do not take such foolish chances with your powers again._

            Kagome slanted her eyes guiltily away from his face to think how to word her answer before she turned back to him and slid her arms around his waist to muffle her whispered promise from human ears, "I promised that it wouldn't happen, Sesshoumaru-sama, and I don't give my word lightly.  I'll be fine until you can come for me again."

            "You will not enjoy the punishment such disobedience would earn you," Sesshoumaru rested a hand on her hip, lightly pressing a claw over where he knew her worst scar remained.  "Takashima and Kaze have asked to stay for a time, and I have decided to allow it until their professions require attention.  Do not make them call me, miko."

            Her lips kicked up, squeezing him tight before she leaned back to look up into his eyes, picking up the warmth that was so well hidden behind his expert mask, "I'll call you first if anything happens."

            Sesshoumaru gave her a single nod, his claws trailing on her skin below the hem of her shirt where no one could see and bending down to whisper in her ear, "Kaze is just as lonely as Shinju, Kagome, and strangely enough, just as alone in his own mind.  Handle it."

            Kagome's eyebrows kicked up at the command, slanting a look back towards the temple for a short moment of contemplation before she spoke back just as softly, "He's from Kyuuei, isn't he?" 

            "Handle it," he repeated, pressing a claw to the back of her neck until her eyes slipped closed, watching the tension melt out of her muscles with satisfaction.  "He has your pride."

            "What a nice way of telling me this is going to give me a migraine," Kagome muttered with a faint edge of irritation.

            "You elected to mingle your blood with the monk of your own free will, miko," Sesshoumaru reminded her.  "Do not complain now that you find yourself responsible for your current offspring."

            "I love you too."

            Sesshoumaru's eyebrow kicked up in that terribly arrogant motion yet again, straightening his spine while she reached up to straighten the simple violet tie as though she'd done such a thing a million times before, "So long as your adoration remains in the appropriate direction."

            "You and Inuyasha could have warned me that inus were the most jealous youkai to ever exist," Kagome brushed her hands over his suit, straightening nonexistent wrinkles and helplessly admiring even this appearance.  "His behavior would have made more sense to me if someone had seen fit to teach me all these annoying little bits."

            Sesshoumaru snorted quietly, "You could have seen fit to ask."

            "Turn around so I can braid your hair," she ignored that remark, waiting for him to do as she 'asked' and present his back to her, separating the impossibly soft strands and weaving it in and out expertly.  "And you know what I meant."

            "Indeed."

            "You're obviously feeling particularly full of yourself this morning," Kagome held the end of the thick braid with one hand and reached up to pull out a strand of her own hair, looping it around the chosen spot several times before tying it into a knot.

            "My most disruptive loose end has been located and returned to the family," Sesshoumaru turned again when she tossed the braid over his shoulder, giving her a questioning look when he noticed just what she'd used to secure it.

            "You never know," she shrugged to play it off, sighing and looking back over the peace of the deceptively large courtyard.  "You have work, don't you?"

            "My, my… one would think you believed you could brush this Sesshoumaru off with such a redirection," he taunted lightly, but dipped his head in a single nod.  "However, you are correct.  I have my duties and you have your own."

            "What do you want me to teach them?" Kagome followed his gaze to Shippou and around to where they both knew Souta was trying to pretend he wasn't eavesdropping.

            "History, miko," Sesshoumaru turned an amused look down on her, violet eyes flashing gold before they settled back to the darker shade.  "Teach them with a participant's voice instead of a words from a paper…  I will not accept any of mine to be unprepared for the threats that are sure to rise with your reappearance."

            Kagome nodded, reaching over to squeeze his hand more for her own comfort than any indication he needed the touch, "I understand."

            "One last thing."

            Kagome blinked, brows arching in silent inquiry as she met his eyes and waited.

            "Do not agree to bare any more children simply because your soul is mistuned to respond favorably to that distasteful question," Sesshoumaru pressed a finger to the hollow of her throat, waiting for that command to click in her mind and flood her cheeks with color before he turned and walked away.

~*~*~*~

            _'Sorry, we were in China… remember?'_ Youko shrugged when Kurama turned the question inward, eyeing the papers spread out on the floor of Yuusuke's guest room.  _'There were some interesting rumors for things and-'_

"I wasn't in Japan to say how much of this is fact or fiction," Kurama tuned out the long dissertation of the thefts that had followed Youko's vacation to the continent, frowning up at Hiei as the hybrid paced back and forth with a frown.  "I always thought it was a little too over the top to believe."

            "One little trinket that grants absolute power," Yuusuke scoffed in disgust at the idea, resting his back against the wall and randomly picking up a page to scan the contents.  "Definitely myth material."

            "But what does it have to do with what's happening now?" Kurama voiced the question for Hiei, knowing he wanted badly to rant and restraining himself for his pride given their present company.  "It's from Feudal Japan, how would it reflect on the present?"

            "Assuming it's actually more than the ramblings of a scared human trying to explain a high-level youkai," Hiei muttered irritably, perching himself on the windowsill before he gave into the urge to start crawling around on the floor just like Yuusuke and Kurama in his search for explanations.

            _'Legitimate concern,'_ Youko pointed out.  '_Humans in that time were paranoid and prone to embellishing things they couldn't explain or kill.  The best stories bring the best audiences, after all.'_

            "This says it's an 'accounting from the monk present at the vanishing of the jewel,'" Yuusuke sighed and set the page aside to reach for another and keep reading.  "Why is all this worded so strangely?"

            "To discourage idiots from reading more than the first few pages," Hiei observed under his breath, well aware they could still hear him and inwardly snickering when Yuusuke started to get up only to be restrained by the impatient kitsune.

            "Either it's just a harmless story or Hiei's right and it's purposefully written to _look_ harmless," Kurama turned a glare over his shoulder.  "This whole thing is in pieces, and that usually means there's something important that we need to find to have it start making sense.  But we're not going to find it if you two stop every five minutes to fight because you're getting frustrated!"

            _In other words, if we won't let you leave to hunt down your 'lover,' you aren't going to let us entertain ourselves by going a few rounds?_ Hiei inserted dryly.

            _Damn straight, _Kurama absently flipped his hair back over his shoulder in a graceful motion.

            _Being horny is not an excuse to make us muck through this alone,_ Hiei sighed and turned to look out the window, willing that damn car to pass by again so he could follow it and take a more direct path to getting an explanation.

            _'If we weren't here, it wouldn't get done,'_ Youko snorted, bored to death and fidgeting impatiently at the thought of his poor lover in the hands of some unknown dog, being forced to submit to-

            _That's kinky even for you,_ Hiei interrupted the new line of mental images, trying unsuccessfully to restrain his laughter.  _Although now that I think of it, I should have pegged you for the bondage type from the start… plant vines and whips, you know._

_            'We're concerned for our lover!' _Youko protested heatedly, a growl rising in his throat at the gleam in the hybrid's eyes.  _'Dogs are known for their obsession with domination!'_

_            There wasn't a dog in that particular fantasy,_ Hiei's lips quirked just enough for Kurama to see it.  _That was all organic bondage and a silver kitsune spirit._

Youko gave every impression that if his nose turned up any higher, he would have fallen over backwards, '_What's the point in using unfeeling materials when you're enjoying your lovers?  Besides, I have control of them that way and I can make them looser or move or-'_

_            And dogs are obsessed with domination? _Hiei folded his arms behind his head and full out grinned, not even bothered by the suspicious look that crossed Yuusuke at the uncommon expression.

            _'You're getting a taste of the "organic bondage" if you don't shut up,' _Youko pushed at the edges of Kurama's mind in annoyance, dying to smack their friend over the head for being so amused at his expense.

            _I think I'll kiss her if she's the conservative type,_ Hiei had to turn his face aside before he actually started laughing at the way Kurama's expression had set into a determined, bland expression.  _She'll be my new favorite person if she makes your sex life miserable._

_            'We're going to kill him,' _Youko's eyebrow twitched.

            _Eventually,_ Kurama agreed, shooting him one more black scowl before purposefully turning back to focus on the legend and the loose pages with miko history.  "I'm more curious as to why Koenma's sudden interest in miko lore," he turned the topic down a more serious path.

            Hiei sighed and let his attention return to the less amusing problem, "The bloodlines were supposed to have thinned down over time, supposedly not enough to even register to Rekai's instruments."

            _'Nothing like the old days,'_ Youko let out a low whistle, bring their memories of random encounters to the surface to refresh Kurama's experience.  _'They were dangerous to be close to… and most of them were so mean, even when I was the most handsome thing they'd ever seen.'_

_            You were still a youkai,_ Hiei reminded him.  _Miko and youkai do not mix._

_            It's probably not even an issue anymore, _Kurama sighed and reached up to rub his temples to try and dispel his growing headache.  _Since there are so few who believe in youkai, and even less who think of miko the way they were revered before the barriers._

"It can't be a coincidence that he sent us out to find that freak at the same time he's reading up on this legend and mikos," Yuusuke repeated the thought beating around in all their heads, his voice slightly rough with his aggravation at not being able to pinpoint just what connected the one act with the other.  "Nothing in here talks about Musou-"

            "What about Naraku?" Hiei turned his head reaching up to push his chin until he felt the satisfying pop and the stiffness leaving his neck.  "Koenma said he was a by-product of that youkai-" _That bastard… he avoided our questions by answering us in ways that would get us asking different ones._

_            He's gotten sneakier,_ Kurama agreed, watching Yuusuke's eyes move over the page and stop.

            "Here… it says Naraku used corrupted shards of- shards?" he started looking around at the other pages.  "I thought it was only one jewel."

            "Worry about that later," Kurama held up a hand to stop him, pointing back at the page.  "What else does it say?"

            Yuusuke swore but nodded and found his place again before he did his best to summarize the odd writing, "He took on illusions to kill the miko responsible for purifying and destroying the jewel."

            _Mikos again, _Hiei's eyes narrowed.  _They seem to play a large role in the legend of the Shikon-no-Tama._

_            'Especially for a youkai artifact,' _Youko agreed, listening to Yuusuke's reading to pick out the important pieces and file them away.  _'Damn… now I wish I hadn't been busy.  Or that Hiei wasn't so young.'_

Hiei nearly choked, making sure Yuusuke was occupied before he turned to scowl at him, _You asshole!  Don't make me sound like a child!_

_            Well, it _was _before your time, wasn't it? _Kurama gave him his best innocent expression, completely ruined by the wicked glint in his eyes.  _Youko was already at least a hundred…_

"Holy shit…" Yuusuke's whisper had them instantly forgetting what had promised to be a particularly nasty battle of insults, leaning forward to look over his shoulder and try to find what had stopped him so completely.  "It's like… déjà vu," he pointed to the spot.  "Naraku was obsessed with 'tainting' the miko's purity."

            _Just like Musou and his ideas of touching Midoriko,_ Hiei shook his head, taking up a new perch on the bed beside Yuusuke's head to read along.

            "If Koenma wasn't being so close-mouthed about the whole goddamned thing we'd probably-" Yuusuke cut himself off, pushing away from the wall abruptly and brows snapping down in a scowl as he stared down in disbelief at what he'd just found, "Oh…"

            Hiei perked up, twisting to pin him with a hard glare, "Oh?"

            Yuusuke held the page out when Hiei and Kurama leaned forward to stare at it as well, pointing down at the bottom where he'd read the next piece of disturbing information, "The legend says Midoriko's the one who created it, from her own soul."

            _Musou came from Naraku… both obsessed with mikos who were directly connected to the Shikon-no-Tama, _Kurama ground his teeth together as the pieces refused to make themselves fit into a smooth picture.  _Suddenly Koenma is being secretive and researching the jewel and mikos._

_            They recorded a flash of energy that felt like Midoriko, _Hiei added and sat back.  "Something from this legend has appeared in our time."

            "If he's trying to keep anyone youkai out of it, it sounds like the jewel thing," Yuusuke pointed out, tossing the pages down when the rest proved to be just random bits of information.  "But doesn't that mean they know if it really exists and works the way the legend says?"

            "Maybe," Kurama tilted his head to think it over.  "It might just be that they're suspicious and don't want to risk it if the Shikon-no-Tama _is _real and _does_ enhance youkai powers."

            "Koenma is a paranoid little prick," Yuusuke agreed and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the uncomfortable kink.  "Definitely the type to panic and over-react if he thought there could be any truth in a legend like this."

            "And afraid to let us look since we're youkai," Kurama nodded.  _This is giving me a headache._

            "So we're still no closer to figuring out exactly what's going on," Yuusuke ground the heels of his hands against his eyes for a moment before he stood up.  "Except for knowing what legend he's freaking out about now."

            "Where are you going?" Hiei's eyebrows rose when Yuusuke turned and opened the door to leave.

            "I'm gonna call Keiko," he glanced back at them, keeping his voice low in favor of his napping sons.  "I gave her those pictures a couple days ago… I think I'll ask her to keep an eye out while we do some more digging."

            Youko was suddenly completely focused on their mostly human leader, "You're going to ask Keiko to keep an eye out for the girl in the pictures?"

            "Why not?" Yuusuke shrugged.  "It can't hurt to have one more set of eyes watching for her, and she's not really the blending in type of person."

            _Unless you're going by auras,_ Hiei added sourly.

            "I'd ask Kurabara too, but he left me a message that Takeharuka is calling all the department heads in town in for a big meeting and he'll be unavailable for a while," he informed them, watching as they predictably frowned in unison, thoughts and suspicions whirling in their eyes.  "Look, I don't like it either, but let's start with trying to find this girl they kidnapped.  She can probably answer more of our questions about him."

            _'After we've made the baby,' _Youko whispered to Kurama, affecting an innocent air when he stiffened.  _'If Keiko finds her, we have to remember to dig something out of our collection to give her for her birthday.'_

_            Agreed,_ Kurama shifted slightly, his gaze sharp and coldly calculating as he watched Yuusuke close the door and dig out his cell phone.

            Hiei's sigh dragged his attention away from trying to hear when was being said and back around to the pages the hybrid was sorting through, "Mikos and a stupid bauble they pretend can make any youkai a god."

            "You're not even a little bit curious?" Kurama blinked and settled Youko down absently, promising him they would get out and start looking for her trail as soon as they'd finished with the matter of the legend.  "Maybe it's true.  Maybe it really was a stupid bauble that made this Naraku person so powerful, and maybe it was all a miko's fault."  
            "And maybe a monk got hungry and made up a bullshit story so idiot humans would give him food to keep telling it," Hiei returned, drumming his fingers on the bed as he tried to read between the lines of the legend.  "There's no reason for a miko to create something so dangerous, or so specifically designed to enhance a youkai.  They were our enemies."

            "Everyone seems to have one or two in their lines who likes to break the rules," Kurama reached back into his hair to pull out his favorite rose, puzzling over the disjointed information while he idly toyed with the stem.  "This miko might have liked our kind more than her own."

            _'Who could blame her?  Mikos were so cocky,' _Youko huffed out his own opinion.  _'Only have sex with humans… how boring is that?'_

Hiei was staring at Kurama in disbelief, "You propositioned a miko?"

            "We were curious," Youko's voice overlapped Kurama's when he spoke, eyes flashing gold before they settled back to green.  "Supposedly it's a holy experience, brings one closer to the gods or something."

            "That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard," Hiei rolled his eyes.

            _'It's true!  All the humans in older times would kill for the chance to participate in those rituals,' _Youko seethed at having his word questioned.  _'Humans still have records of them now, they just don't practice them.'_

_            Breaks your heart, doesn't it?_ Hiei snorted.

            _'What I feel when I think of that comes from a bit lower, Hiei,' _Youko curved their lips up in a wicked grin that only widened when the hybrid made a face.

            _There are times that it pains me to think of the way your empty kitsune head works when I recall the stories of your exploits, _Hiei scanned back to the part about Midoriko creating the jewel at the sacrifice of her own life.  

            _'I don't have to be boring to be the best,' _Youko preened, not put off in the slightest at knowing both Kurama and Hiei were trying to ignore him.  _'I know how to enjoy my downtime.'_

_            It'll be a damn miracle if this girl doesn't strangle you with a pillowcase in an hour, _Hiei predicted in a bland tone, frowning at the lack of names for the miko in the time frame with the Naraku creature.  _And that's only if you can get her away from 'Big Dog.'_

Kurama's eyes darkened at the suggestion, all signs of relaxation gone as he sat up and let the growl vibrate in his throat, "When, Hiei, not if."

            "_Keiko!!_" Yuusuke's shout snapped them out of their staring contest, turning their attention to the closed door and barely noticing they rose to their feet when he continued."Don't hang-!  DAMMIT!"

            _This can't be good news,_ Hiei stepped forward to find out where that yell had come from and why, glancing back to make sure Kurama had closed the door on their ill-gotten goods.

            _Shouting out his wife's name in that tone of voice immediately after he told us he was going to tell her to look for my lover? _Kurama let out a snort of laughter that had little to do with amusement.  _Your powers of intuition must be getting better with age._

_            Keep that up, Kurama, and I'll take out an advertisement in a newspaper under the alternative lifestyles,_ Hiei gave out that threat casually.

            _'I always suspected he was reading those…_'

            _What better way to understand the mind of a kitsune? _he shot back over his shoulder, smirking as his eyes gleamed in the dim hallway.  _I had to find _something_ that could compete with your particular level of perversity._

_            'That's just impolite,' _Youko's eyes narrowed.  

            _I'll say-_ Kurama opened his mouth to respond when Youko interrupted again.

            _'No human could possibly compete with my level of perversity,' _he sounded mortally offended by the very thought such a thing were possible, and Hiei was instantly snickering at the way Kurama's cheeks went visibly red.

            "I hate you both," Kurama growled and stalked past the amused hybrid tagging along behind him, wishing at the moment that he could escape the kitsune in his mind the same way.


	15. Calmest Before the Storm

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Well… before Kazusa actually manages to find the time to skin me, I'll get this chapter posted.  LOL, especially considering she's not the only one anymore who seems determined to hunt me down and eat me for making her wait.  –giggles and rubs head-  I'm so glad you're all having a good time, and I know it's been a terrible wait to see who's with who and how and all those burning questions, but time will tell.  So long as I don't get killed first… -giggles- 

To all my reviewers, you're all fabulous and wonderful, the repeats make me laugh every time I get a new note and the new readers too!  I adore you all, and not just to torture with every dangling ending where you're not sure what's going on.  Although that is fun… kidding, kidding.  At any rate, I shall leave you to your reading.  –bows and blows kisses all around-

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Calmest Before the Storm~

            "Banzai!  Perfect score, Kaze!" Shippou cheered out from his place on the edge of the roof, flicking his wrist to summon a fan with the kanji for "victory" emblazoned in scarlet ink across a white background.  Taking advantage of the vivid pinks and golds of the rising sun peeking over the horizon to strike a pose, tail twitching where it trailed down over the edge and one knee tucked up to his chest.  Shippou turned the fan back to wave it in front of his face dramatically when the cousins turned to stare up at him in mild annoyance at his continued running commentary before he taunted, "What?  You want me to keep making targets and hiding your game from the street so you can throw an antique in the middle of a city?  Don't mock how I choose to amuse myself!"

            Shinju shrugged and silently accepted that ultimatum, holding out his hand and grinning in open challenge when Kaze passed the Hiraikotsu back, "Hand it over, Jiji, and let a pro show you how it's done."

Kaze snorted at the boast, but dutifully stepped back to sit down beside Kagome on the edge of the porch, turning in surprise when Souta make a running pass in a awkward position hunched over a soapy sponge.  He tilted his head, reaching over to lightly grasp Kagome's shoulder to get her attention while Shippou pitched out a handful of acorns to create new targets for the younger monk's next throw, "Is Souta being punished?"

Kagome glanced up from Miroku's shakujou in confusion, following his gaze to her little brother cleaning the timeworn boards and letting out a soft chuckle, "Not exactly.  He's embarrassed that I can throw Hiraikotsu and he can barely lift it."

            "How does that relate to running a sponge back and forth like an apprentice?" Kaze reached over to lightly touch a fingertip to one of the rings on the shakujou that was never far from her hands, smiling at the melodic _ping_ that filled the air when he let it drop against the other.  "We were under the impression he was more advanced in his training level-?"

            "He is," she reached up, tucking his glossy raven hair back behind his ear when it fell into his face yet again, concealing those eyes that spoke so loudly of Miroku's influence.  "I told him that he needed to start focusing on getting his endurance and strength up if he wants to last training with me.  Shippou just happened to be watching some weird samurai drama, saw the poor kid doing that in whatever scene it was in, and suggested Souta give it a try."

            He blinked in disbelief, leaning forward to look up and not the least bit surprised to see the kitsune mimicking the action to flash a fanged grin down on him, "It's been a long time since I got to see anyone do it in real life."

            "You can be so selfish it's disturbing," Kaze shook his head and sighed, looking back in time to see Shinju draw back and fling the massive weapon with expert grace and precision.  "He has always had a hand for the weapons of Sango-sama… although when I was a child, I wondered if it was just to irritate the rest of us."

            Kagome snickered, lifting a hand to cover her mouth while her eyes glowed with amusement, "Inuyasha often suspected Miroku-sama of such things.  It wouldn't be right if his descendants were any less… colorful."

            "You mean perverted, Nee-san," Shippou was suddenly hanging upside down in front of them, legs still hooked on the edge and winking when their eyes lifted to his face.  "Don't let Kaze fool you either, he's just a more refined type of pervert."

            The Hiraikotsu came down with a resounding _thunk_ against the wood beside them, Shinju adding his opinion with a cheerful, "Oh definitely, Kaa-san!  Who do you think taught me what I know?"

            "I'm still older than you, Shinju, don't make me embarrass you in front of family," Kaze arched an eyebrow in an expression Kagome was certain came from prolonged exposure to Sesshoumaru.

            _They're still like him,_ Kagome leaned back against the bamboo railing, tilting her head as she watched the argument with a proud sort of affection.  _His serious face and his playful face… just in two different bodies._

            Shippou landed silently behind her, his tail flicking back and forth as he whispered, "It's kinda cute, isn't it?  They look a lot like him, but there are little things there -in every generation- that are all you.  Miroku and Sango loved to look for those."

            "It hurts to think I missed seeing that sometimes," she kept her voice low, not wanting to alert her brother or the cousins swapping threats and insults in such a casual manner.  "But…"

            "It would have hurt more if you'd had to watch it all the way through with the rest of us, ne?" he offered with a rare note of somber understanding in his voice, sighing as he crossed his legs to sit more comfortably beside her and rest his head on her shoulder.  "I still think there are times that humanity is terribly overrated."

            Kagome slanted him a look, pausing when the boards shook under the pounding of Souta's feet when he passed by again before she turned to watch discreetly with gleaming eyes, "I'll have to watch it this time, won't I?  It's not my choice anymore."

            "Not by yourself though," Shippou assured her, reaching over to lace his fingers through hers and squeeze to soften his inability to refute her observation.  "And we've been through it all before, Kagome, we can help when it comes to that."

            Her lips curved in a tiny, teasing smile, but he could still see the melancholy edge that stopped it from reaching her eyes, "You all have it planned already, don't you?"  
            "Of course!" his eyes took on a look of complete adoration, sitting up in front of her in a rush and reaching up to pull the simple tie out of his hair, letting that thick ponytail fall free to spill into her lap suggestively.  "We _are_ a very old and well established family, Nee-san.  You think Sesshoumaru would have been satisfied with anything less?"

            Kagome wrinkled his nose, already reaching for his hair and dragging her fingers through it to smooth out the kinks and minor tangles, _Damn youkai hair…it just has to be so perfect._  "I know he wouldn't," she admitted affectionately, turning to look around at her "boys" and soak in the domesticity of the morning scene to soothe less enjoyable thoughts from her mind.  "Or did you forget how many times I spoke with Sesshoumaru before Inuyasha wished again?"

            "Nah," he tilted his head back, eyes closed and smiling in delight at finally having his hair played with the way she had done so often in the past.  "I remember because Inuyasha never let sneak after you.  He kept stepping on me to hold me still."

            Souta came skidding to a stop beside them, taking in deep breaths as he tried to refill his burning lungs, "How-how long… do I have to do this?"

            Kagome gave Shippou's hair a warning tug when she felt the amusement fill his aura, patting the wood to indicate he should sit, "You aren't going to get magic results, runt, no matter what a _kitsune_ says."

            Shippou pasted on an innocent look when that drew the attention of the human boys to his face with varying stages of bland accusation, "What?  I just said try it, I didn't say it would work in a day."

            Kagome giggled and rose to her feet, pressing her hands to the small of her back and stretching out her spine, "Illusion time, Shippou.  I want to feel some auras this morning and see where you need work."

            Shinju perked up, slinging the Hiraikotsu over his shoulder as his eyes lit up in delight, "Ah then you're going to work here with me, Kaa-san?  As our miko?"

            "Why not?  Sesshoumaru wants me to teach you history my way, and I was always better at showing than telling," she shrugged and held out a hand for Shippou to pass up her shakujou.  "That means yesterday was your slack off day… this morning, we're going to get to work so you have something to show him when he comes back to pick you up tonight."

            "I can help!" Shippou held up a hand eagerly, pressing a leaf to his forehead and making a slight "poof" as he obediently changed to his human appearance.  "My magic-"

            "Is too risky when the barriers in the house are more focused on masking meditation," Kaze cut in, reaching up to grab Shippou's ear and give it a tug.  "This isn't the compound, Shippou."

            "You can still help," Kagome's lips twitched at the absolutely crestfallen look on the kitsune's face, wondering if she should be worried at how immature and young he still seemed to be even after five centuries.  _If Sesshoumaru has any other kitsunes around, I'll have to ask if it's normal… or I could probably just ask him.  Sesshoumaru likes to know everything._

            "I'll get your clothes," Shippou decided, bounding back across the yard and into the house before Kagome could lift a hand to stop him, calling over his shoulder.  "You can teach Kaze how to be an archer!"

            Souta leaned over the rail, silent with the rest of them for a moment before he nudged his sister with a foot, "Oi, Nee-san.  You are no longer allowed to say I'm too hyper even if I've eaten an entire case of chocolate Pocky, all right?"

            "He'll settle down as soon as it sticks in his head that we're not going to disappear again," Kagome reached back and swatted his thigh.  "Or don't you remember how you acted when I first came home?"

            Souta's cheeks turned pink at the reminder, rubbing the back of his head and clearing his throat, "I remember."

            "See?  He's just like you, Souta, just with the whole… well, inhuman energy levels youkai have," she wrinkled her nose, reaching back to brace her weight on one hand.  "He likes you."

            "When I said I wanted a big brother, Kagome, I didn't mean like this, you know," he folded his arms behind his back, stretching out sore muscles as they waited for Shippou to return with Kagome's clothes.

            "That's too bad," Kagome winked at Shinju and Kaze when they gave the boy a sympathetic look.  "I told him he could be my little brother and he's obviously decided to take that to heart.  Cheer up, Souta, you'll have fun with him once you get to know him better."

            "Or you'll die from kitsune-overload," Kaze snickered at that weary expression Shinju pasted on for effect.

            "Stop it, you two, it's not that bad," she shook her head.  "He's just happy."

            "We used to have a brother-" Shinju started only to get smacked over the head by a rather irritated looking kitsune.

            "Didn't Sesshoumaru tell you to stop telling lies like that?" Shippou muttered, holding out the folded violet hakama until Kagome took it from him and stood, handing Souta the shakujou while she expertly shook it out and tied it in place.  "Don't listen to them, Souta, they're just jealous because I can still beat them."

            "Only because you cheat," Shinju taunted, hopping to his feet when a half-hearted swat came his way again. 

            "All right, all of you, that's enough," Kagome chuckled affectionately, tapping the end of the staff on the porch to get their attention once she'd taken it back.  "Souta, go shower and come to the temple while we get set up for some easy stuff."

            Souta snapped to attention, "You're going to teach me?"

            "If you can manage to not kill each other, I'll consider it," she slanted him a dry look.  "Now get moving.  If Shippou beats you back with breakfast, you might not get any."

            "Breakfast?" Shippou's brows lifted in confusion while Kaze rolled his eyes and hooked a finger in the back of his shirt to drag him towards the car.

            "We're getting breakfast," Kaze informed him.  "There are five of us, and no human has enough to feed that empty pit you call a stomach on hand." 

            "Oi-!"

            Shinju sat back, stuffing his hands up in the sleeves of his kimono as he watched the courtyard clear and leave them in peaceful quiet, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone who could make orders like Sesshoumaru, but still sound polite."

            Kagome chuckled softly, turning to look down at him while a flare of deep purple light flowed up beneath the shakujou and held it in place for her to reach back and braid her own hair, "If you spend as much time alone with a taiyoukai as I do, you can't help but pick up a few things.  Not to say they're all good, but it's nice to know how to drop a command here and there that people listen to without the aid of prayer beads."

            Shinju stood as well, smiling down at her in amusement at the face that accompanied her remark, "Not as entertaining though."

            "Inuyasha would disagree."

            "Which makes it even more entertaining."

            Kagome finished with her hair, slanting him a knowing look from beneath her bangs as she curled her fingers around the staff and let the magic reabsorb into the wood with a faint ripple, "You're a sadistic little monk, Shinju."

            "Miroku-sama would have been proud."

~*~*~*~

            "I'm not sorry I hung up on you and stayed the night with Yukina, Yuusuke, so stop pouting," Keiko rolled her eyes as her husband went off on a rant that alternated between demanding what she'd been doing and apologizing for whatever she had thought he'd done wrong.  "And I wasn't annoyed with you, I just wanted to spend some time with her and give you the chance to have the house to yourselves.  You said you had a lot of reading to do and the boys were already asleep, so I decided to give you some privacy."

            "Okay, okay," she could hear a low murmur in the background, wishing that Kurama was in more of a habit to talk louder and make it easier to overhear, but resigning herself to having it translated through her husband.  "Oi, Keiko, you remember those pictures I gave you to hang onto before Koenma sent us on that bullshit mission?"

Keiko sighed into the phone, shifting the strap of her purse up to a more comfortable position on her shoulder while she waited for the traffic light to indicate it was safe to cross the street, "Of course I remember those pictures, Yuusuke, they're too bizarre not to remember."  _And too beautiful,_ she thought wistfully, recalling the almost ethereal light in the woman's strangely blue eyes.  "What about them?"

            "Kurama and Hiei aren't telling me everything, but I got a feeling they'd kill a fair share of youkai to get her over here for a chat," Yuusuke's voice drifted through to her, softer than he usually spoke and making her brows lift with involuntary curiosity.

"What does that have to do with me?  I already told you I didn't have any idea who she was," she stepped into the crosswalk with the other early afternoon pedestrians, absently looking around to stay alert to her surroundings the way he'd taught her.

"You're out and around more than we can be with Koenma and all, so I just thought you could help us find her," he explained in a slightly embarrassed tone.  "You know, keep an eye out places that girls would be."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Yuusuke," Keiko giggled into the phone and shook her head, digging in her purse for the shopping list.  "Places girls would be… I have to remember that.  You think we have some sort of secret handshake with each other too, don't you?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," he mumbled under his breath.  "Please, Keiko?  It would really help and we're already stressed out from having to try and puzzle all this out with tweezers and a magnifying glass."

Keiko sighed heavily, not looking where she was going as she turned to climb the steps that would lead her to the train's platform, "I'd love to help, but it's really not that easy.  I know what she looks like, but all done up in those period clothes…  I don't know a name, or who she really is, or where she might be.  Tell Kurama and Hiei that I'm not going to open a random door and just run… into-"

            "Keiko?" Yuusuke's voice drifted unnoticed through the receiver as she stared in awe at the temple she found herself standing in front of.  

            _Wow… wrong turn… _she twisted to look back down at the street, blinking at the almost surreal feeling surrounding her, like the sounds and smells of the city had drifted away.  _I didn't even know this was here!  How did I miss it?_

            "Keiko?"

            The sound of metal ringing against metal from somewhere inside startled her out of her minor trance, drawing her forward to slide the shoji open as quietly as she could.  Her shoes were habitually abandoned in the threshold, padding down the twisting hall until she could hear the sounds more clearly and opened that screen under that absolute need to find the source of activity.

            Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at her in surprise when she let out a faint gasp, but she only noticed one: the woman standing just to the side of the two young men, obviously in the middle of making corrections to their stances and motions with an all-too familiar staff until the interruption turned her eyes away.

            "_Keiko!_"

            Yuusuke's shout was loud into that time that it was obvious even the frozen trio had heard it, one of the boys lifting a hand to hide a smile while the other glanced to the girl in silent question.

            She could feel herself turning red, clearing her throat to mutter out "Call you back," in a clipped tone and hanging up before he could manage to protest.  She turned the ringer off and stuffed it in her pocket just as the older of the two boys detached from the group to approach her.

            "Good morning!" his voice was amazingly pleasant, the smile on his face full of genuine warmth that put her at ease in an instant as he lifted his hand to form a symbol of blessing.  "Welcome to my humble temple, beautiful lady…  How can I be of service to you?"

            Keiko's mind drew a blank, rapidly trying to come up with something feasible while he reached out and clasped her hand in his own.  Her eyes drew down to the strange "glove" wrapped in a string of prayer beads, noting in confusion that it was only on the right hand and only really covered his palm and up his forearm into the kimono, "Who-?"  _Who are these people?  And why is he wearing something like that?_

            "Ah!  Forgive me for my lack of manners," his voice was practically dripping with the singular charm that had Kagome rolling her eyes as she left Souta's side with a soft order to practice the katas he'd been shown while she moved to head off her descendant before his inherent perversion got the better of his good sense.  "You may call me Shinju-sama, I am a holy monk whose family settled in this temple and has dedicated their lives to the service of Buddha."

            "Ah, Shinju-sama," Keiko swallowed hard, tugging her hand while her mind restarted, frantically searching for a good reason to be here without screaming suspicion.  "I-ah… I'm afraid I-"

            "Shinju," Kagome grabbed the little dragontail and yanked her "son" back away from the flustered woman, pulling him over until he was practically bent in half and struggling not to topple over completely.  When he simply looked at her upside down with his most innocent expression, she couldn't help but arch an eyebrow and warn, "Go help Souta before I show you what it feels like to have Hiraikotsu come down on your head."

            He blanched ever so slightly, twisting out of her hold with an ease that suggested it wasn't the first time he'd been in such a position and lifting both hands palm out to try and plead his good intention, "Please, Kagome-sama!  I am a monk of the highest caliber-"

            She leaned in and whispered, "Get your high-caliber ass over to your uncle, brat."

            "Yes, ma'am."

            Kagome shook her head and smiled affectionately as Shinju bowed and walked back to Souta's side as calmly as though he hadn't just been threatened with severe bodily harm, "Sorry about that.  Shinju is a wonderful boy… he just takes after his male ancestors a little too closely-?"  _One in particular._

"Ah, Urameshi Keiko… no harm done!" Keiko waved her hands dismissively, beyond grateful for the interaction that seemed to be buying her more time to come up with an excuse.  "Um… isn't he… a little young to own a temple?"

            "Inherited," Kagome hid a laugh behind her hand when she clearly heard Souta call Shinju a shameless pervert.  "His family is well connected throughout this area and has been for some time."

            Keiko stared at the girl in confusion, frowning as she tried to determine the reason for that almost wistful note that entered her voice when she didn't appear to be that much older than they were, "Have you known the family long?"

            "Sometimes it feels like forever," Kagome faced her again, smiling widely at the thought and unconsciously lifting her other hand to trace the razor edge of Miroku's staff, letting the comforting warmth he'd infused in the weapon to flow into her.  _I've known them from the third cursed generation… I made them._

            Keiko's eyes followed her hand, questions building with every passing moment, "Do you work here at the temple then?"  At Kagome's inquiring look, she held out a hand to indicate the attire and around the floor, "It looked… like you were instructing."

            The silent reverie dispersed and Kagome tried to unobtrusively shake off her memories as she turned to smile at the human girl, "Shinju asked me to stay when I returned home.  He hasn't had a shrine miko since the Meiji era."

            "You're a miko?" she repeated in awe, lifting a hand to her mouth to attempt to squelch the strangled sort of disbelief she knew was fighting to take hold of her expression.  _This is bad… if she's for real, couldn't she purify youkai?  Kurama and Hiei?  Mikos killed them in all the old legends and records.  _

            Kagome shrugged and straightened the pleats in her hakama absently, "That's the best they can come up with to classify me, so yes.  I suppose I am."

            _Yuusuke needs to meet this woman_, Keiko let her hand fall to her side, stuffing it in her pocket and gripping the phone she could feel shaking with the constant silent ringing.  "I don't understand," she finally tried to get more clarification, helplessly studying to jewel blue eyes of this "Kagome" and wondering why they seemed familiar.  "How can you 'suppose' you're a miko?  Isn't it just you are or you aren't?"

            "Well I'm not exactly a good one," Kagome's eyes glowed even brighter with her laughter as she tapped a finger to her lips with mock severity of contemplation.  "I didn't start training until I was fifteen, and that's a bit old when you think about it."  _That and mikos aren't supposed to be violent or temperamental, and there's that whole _not _killing every youkai I meet problem that I seem to have._

            "I… see…" Keiko blinked, not sure what to say to that, but feeling herself slowly lose the rigid tension that had gripped her the moment she arrived.  This place was too peaceful, too warm to let her hold it, and that in itself was remarkable, _Okay, so maybe they'd be all right.  She doesn't feel like a cruel person, especially not if this place is so calm._

            "But it's not like there's much call for mikos anymore, so it's hardly a massive concern," Kagome continued, waving it aside as she turned to watch Shinju guide her brother through a few simple maneuvers she recognized as Sango's style.  "This era isn't exactly crawling with wild, bloodthirsty youkai, ne?"  _Not like Sengoku Jidai._

_            Wouldn't you be surprised,_ Keiko bit back the automatic thought with effort and instead settled on a friendly, "I suppose not.  So you just perform ceremonies?  Teach?"

            "Among other things," she nodded to confirm those activities.  "Now that Souta decided he wants to take over our own shrine, I promised our mother that I'd see he got the right training.  Shinju's the only one I trust to do that, except that he needs help with his archery."

            "Archery?" Keiko tried to think of the connection and simply waited for the other girl to assuage her curiosity.

            "He can hit a target behind him by accident at the moment," Kagome reached up and rubbed her head in embarrassment.  _He gets that from me, I'm sure… but a little work and I'm sure he'll be decent.  Then again, he seems to be better with Sango's weapons, and Souta was more interested in watching Shippou show off with those wakazashi…_

"I'm sorry, was that too forward of me?" Kagome's attention turned back to her surroundings when she picked up the worried flare of this small woman's aura, turning to assure her.

            "No, no, I'm terribly sorry," she shook her head and let out a sigh.  "There just seems to be a great deal to do, and I have to plan out what I can teach them and what they'll have to learn from someone else in the family."

            "That _you_ have to teach them?" Keiko's brows lifted in surprise.

            "I'm older than I look, you know," Kagome's lips quirked upwards at the assessing look that earned her.  "Archery I can teach, and that's one thing that I excelled at pretty fast."  _It was either that or die trying._

"Do you accept students then?" Keiko inwardly cheered at the thought that struck her, trying not to seem too excited as she turned to Kagome.  "I have two sons, and I'd- ah, I'd like a trained monk or miko to look over them."

            "Oh?" Kagome's interest shifted, wondering if this was something she would need to bring to Sesshoumaru's attention.  "Have they shown signs of sensitive awareness?  Strange skills?"

            _Like firing energy out the tip of your finger?_ she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, thinking what Kagome would say to classify that particular skill.  "They seem more intuitive than other children their age, and their doctor says they're developing intellectually much faster than usual."  _That's true at least._

            "Interesting," Kagome's fingers squeezed the staff as her gaze turned introspective.  "I'll have to talk to Shinju about actually taking on students outside family, but give me your number and I'll call you to give you an answer."

            "I don't want to be any trouble," Keiko assured her, frowning when it finally clicked in her mind.  _The eyes… that's it.  Shinju and this woman have the same eyes, and she says that's her brother, Souta.  They're all related._

            "It's no trouble," Kagome reached over and patted her shoulder.  "I like kids, and if they have more sensitivity, they'll need to learn how to calm it or they'll go crazy.  At the very least, I'll drop by if you'd like and see what I can read in their auras."

            "You'd do that?"

            "Not saying I'm the best one for the job or that I'd be able to do it properly, but I'd be willing to do what I can," Kagome shrugged it off, not wanting to give her any wrong impressions.  

            "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that," Keiko dug into her purse, opening her planner and writing out her information on a paper to rip out and pass on to her.  _Yuusuke is going to absolutely freak out._

            A twinge of youki strummed up her spine, making Kagome frown slightly as she turned towards the courtyard and turned to usher Keiko out the front before Shippou could come bounding in and stun the poor woman to death, "Urameshi-san, I'm sure you had better things to do than accidentally come in and watch us go through boring trainings.  I'll walk you out and call you tomorrow about seeing your boys."

            Keiko's hand went back into her pocket, squeezing her phone hard as she nodded and instantly started planning ahead on just what to tell her probably seething husband when she got outside, "Thank you very much- ah, Kagome-sama?"

            Kagome nodded to acknowledge it really was her name, cocking her head when she heard a faint crash that was more than likely Shippou taking down one of the other unsuspecting boys in his enthusiasm, "It's really no problem, we don't get many visitors, after all, so it's nice to meet someone from the neighborhood."

            "It's the strangest thing, now that you mention it," Keiko paused to step into her shoes, tapping the toe on the ground to settle them into place before she allowed Kagome to lead her back to the steps.  "I didn't even realize this temple was here… I was supposed to be at the train station."

            "You didn't walk far enough," Kagome chuckled and pointed down the street.  "Sorry, Urameshi-san, you turned a block too early, but I've done it before myself."

            Keiko blushed and bowed to her, laughing nervously as she started down the steps, "I'm not usually so distracted, but it was a pleasure to meet you, Kagome-sama!  I hope you'll be able to come visit my boys soon."

            "I hope so too," Kagome bowed, waiting until she reached the street before returning to what was likely a chaotic mess by now.

~*~*~*~

            When the phone rang, Yuusuke practically ripped it out of the wall, "Dammit, Keiko, don't _ever_ do that again!  I heard swords!  Why the fuck did I hear swords!?"

            "Oh calm down, Yuusuke, it wasn't anything for you to worry about," Keiko's voice drifted through the phone loudly enough for Kurama and Hiei to overhear.  "I took a wrong turn is all."

            "You hung up on me!" he continued to rail, making Kurama inwardly wince at the decibels humans were sometimes capable of producing.  "Do you have any idea how worried I've been!?  What happened?!

            _'Can you hit him and take the phone away?' _Youko suggested, trying to ignore the yelling as he tossed about the parts of the myth that were still bothering him.

            _This is between Yuusuke and Keiko, Youko, not us,_ Kurama reminded with a distracted mutter, reaching out to try and take the file away from Hiei and sighing in annoyance when the hybrid didn't even look at him as he avoided the attempt.

            _'This is boring, Kurama, sneak out and let's go find our lover,'_ Youko insisted.  _'Let Hiei and Yuusuke kill each other going over the legend.'_

_            Don't even think it, Fox, _Hiei continued to scan the pages, brow furrowed in concentration at the magic that seemed to pulse through the lines and twist the words into an undecipherable jumble.  But then the moment would pass and they'd settle back into that damnably vague text they'd read at least a dozen times throughout the night.  __

            "What do you mean you found a temple close to the train station, there's no temple anywhere near that neighborhood," Yuusuke had calmed down enough that it was easier for the youkai to mostly tune out his voice.

            "I didn't think so either, but there's one there," Keiko insisted.  "It's family run and looks like it's been around practically forever."

            "What does this have to do with anything?" he leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm himself down now that he was certain she was safe.  They were going to have a long talk tonight about hanging up after going silent and letting him hear attack sounds, but not giving him the slightest hint over where she was.  "We were talking and you just hung up.  Didn't you hear the phone?  Or did you turn it off?  What could have possibly been so important that you-?"

            "She's a miko."


	16. The Strangest Bedfellows

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Ah well… I wasn't going to post this until Monday, but it started getting too long…  -rubs head and laughs-  Ah well, I was torturing poor Sylvannastar a bit too much to make her wait longer too, and after she's been so nice in listening to me ramble from time to time.

As always, to my beautiful reviewers… -bows and blows kisses-  You're all wonderful and it's tons of fun to hear that you're enjoying the story, but _also_ as always, I'm aware that you'd rather just get to reading.  So, enjoy! ^___~

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~The Strangest Bedfellows~

            There was a moment of silence on the other line, and Keiko frowned in concern, opening her mouth to check if they'd been disconnected when the flat demand carried through, "What?"

            "She… said she was a miko," Keiko repeated, not quite sure why that one piece of information had changed his tone so dramatically.

            She pulled the phone away from her ear in surprise when she heard a scuffle interspersed with Yuusuke swearing profusely and the sound of… well, something hitting a wall or a floor fairly hard, she couldn't be certain only hearing the heavy crash and clatter through the tiny speaker.  "Yuusuke?" she called into it louder, hoping to get some kind of response to explain why telling them had started what sounded like a war in her kitchen.  "Yuusuke!"

            "Get the fuck offa me!" she heard her husband's voice from somewhere away from the receiver just before it was replaced with the honey-smooth tones she had come to recognize so well over the years.

            "Say that again please, Keiko?" Kurama was trying his damnedest to sound calm, keeping an eye on where Hiei was more or less standing on Yuusuke's chest to keep him away so the kitsune could ask the "right" questions.

            "I… I said she was a miko," Keiko glanced around the platform, blushing a bit at the curious stares and backing away to the far end for privacy.

            "A miko," Kurama repeated, shooting Hiei a disbelieving glance.  _There's no way in all the hells that this is coincidental, _his hand tightened on the receiver.  

            _No shit,_ he rolled his eyes, digging his heel into Yuusuke's stomach and letting a grin cross his lips when that started a new string of curses and rather impressively creative threats against his equally unimpressed person.

            "Actually… she said that was what they called her," Keiko corrected with a slight frown, trying to recall the details of the conversation at the pretty obvious indication of the situation's severity with Kurama's attention.  "_She_ said she didn't make a very good miko."

            Now he was the one frowning, "What do you mean?  You spoke with her?"

            _'A _very_ nice present for her birthday, Kurama,_' Youko made the mental note, his voice filled with eager delight at hearing his chosen lover had been located and was lacking one possessive youkai enough for Keiko to have carried on a proper conversation with her.  _'We can go looking through our collection for an appropriate thank you as soon as we've picked up our lover and stuffed her in a closet.'_

_            That'll convince her to stick around,_ Kurama sighed, shushing him to hear Keiko over the racket Yuusuke was making.

            "Of course!  She works at the temple I was in," Keiko instinctively glanced back in that direction, even knowing there was no way she could see the building from her current spot.  "She said that she didn't start training until she was fifteen, but that there wasn't much call for mikos anymore, so it didn't matter much."

            _What temple?_ Hiei tossed around the idea of hitting Yuusuke over the head and knocking him out for a moment, but given the much more amusing potential of just pissing him off this way, he decided it wasn't worth it.

            "Where are you?" Kurama tried to keep Youko out of it, but the slightly sharper edge to his voice warned him that he hadn't been entirely successful.  _Back off, Youko, you're the one who insists that rushing makes mistakes._

_            'We've been _this _close to having her and being done with this damn celibacy and baby problem, Kurama, I want her and I want her now,' _Youko growled back, refusing to settle despite his best efforts.  _'Keiko saw her and spoke to her longer than we did… that means she's in the open and she's fair game.  An inu would have locked her up where she was under his hand at all times if they were exclusively intimate.  They're paranoid that way, and I don't want to give him time to correct the oversight.'_

_            Like planning to stuff her in your closet is any less paranoid? _Hiei taunted, kicking Yuusuke's wrist when he managed to catch hold of an ankle.

            _'Only for a little while, until I'm the only youkai she dreams about at night,' _Youko's voice was pure innocence, and Kurama couldn't help but make a face at just how disturbing it sounded coming with the pictures his 'alter-ego' was putting in his head.

            "I'm at the station," Keiko shrugged, starting to get worried.  "Kurama, what's going on?  Why am I talking to you and not to Yuusuke?  Why do you want to find this girl so badly?"

            _'Don't tell her_._'_

            _Do I look like a complete idiot? _Kurama scoffed at the idea, shooting Hiei a glare to stop him from adding in any smartass comments.  "We think she might be able to help out with a mission," he lied seamlessly, perching on the edge of the kitchen counter with a calmness he was far from feeling.  "Scrolls about a miko in early eras that we'd like an expert opinion on."

            "Oh," Keiko digested that bit of information, chewing her lip and leaning back against one of the concrete supports dotting the mostly empty platform.  "I'm sure she'd help if you asked… I mean, I was just trying not to sound suspicious but when I told her I'd like someone to look at the boys and read their auras, she offered to come over herself and give it a shot."

            _'Too easy for her to be followed, and then we wouldn't have a temporary hiding spot,' _Youko denied that possibility.  _'If we take her from the temple, or her home, we can use the woods to cover our trail and-'_

            _One step at a time, Youko!  We still don't know where she's at, remember?  And if _she_ comes to us, she'll be less on guard,_ Kurama hissed out at him impatiently for the interruption, ignoring the laughter ringing in his head from the hybrid doing his best to crack a few of their leader's ribs unobtrusively.

            _'We'd better know by the time Yuusuke's wife hangs up that phone, or I swear to the gods, Kurama, we're going hunting,' _Youko promised him darkly.  _'Nothing gets away from me when I decide I want it.'_

            _Don't come crying to me when your ass gets purified, Kurama,_ Hiei felt obligated to point out at the way Youko was growling in their head, sending out waves of restless irritability the longer the silence on the other end continued.  _You can't steal a miko and hide her with your stash, so you may as well give up on making this one your lover._

_            She said "not a very good miko," Hiei, that means she's probably untrained and just sensitive, like Kurabara,_ Kurama defended, unwilling to back down even with Youko's odd behavior.  He was taking this a little too personally, and while he was grateful for the change in pursuing an appropriate girl, he didn't want to scare her to death and ruin his chances.  Humans just didn't generally respond very well to the way youkai behaved when it came to relationships and attachments, shying away from the absolute intensity of their focus and emotions.

            _Still a miko,_ he reminded him sharply.  _Don't let Youko's carryover fetish make you careless enough to make mistakes that could get your soul ripped out._

_            'I do not have a fetish,_' Youko protested in a particularly affronted tone.  _'Well… not the one he's talking about anyway.  It was just a curiosity back then.'_

            "Kurama?" Keiko prodded, reminding him that he was the one encouraging the lack of conversation.

            "Sorry, Keiko, I was… distracted," he cleared his throat, sitting up straighter to get back to business.  "Where did you say you were?"

            "The station we use to go to the café with the chairs Yuusuke hates so much," she turned the wrist of her free hand up to check her watch, making sure she had time until the next train.  "It's about a block away, but I don't ever remember seeing it when we walked down that street.  Isn't that weird?"

            _I don't remember it either,_ Hiei observed with a note of suspicion.

            _You can't feel her, Hiei, this may just be a side effect to whatever makes her that way,_ Kurama absently ran a hand through his hair again, grazing the seeds with his fingertips habitually.  _Or it may have something to do with the youkai who kidnapped her… although, it doesn't sound like she's acting kidnapped._

_            Mind alteration?_ Hiei suggested.  _Erasing her memories?_

_            We'll have to wait and see when we pick her up,_ Kurama nodded decisively.  _If she _does_ remember…_

_            Then she can tell us what the hell youkai are doing in Ningenkai, and what they have to do with her,_ Hiei finished with a faint hint of a satisfied smirk.  _And how in the _fuck_ she feels empty._

_            'He's letting that bother him too much,' _Youko murmured softly, for Kurama's ears alone.  _'Although… I wonder if she notices that she feels empty?  That would make it so much easier to-'_

            "I guess I've been distracted too, but she was there teaching her brother and someone else who has to be related to her," Keiko's nervous laugh cut off the wandering thought before it could blossom into another all-out fantasy.

            "How do you know they were related?" his brows lowered in contemplation, silently thanking whatever gods had picked that moment for Keiko to perk Youko's interest as well.

            "Same eyes," she sighed and shook her head.  "In a way, I'm jealous.  Their eyes are even more amazing up close, almost like they're glowing sometimes, but not… Mou, I hope she didn't think I was staring.  And then temples seem to stay in family's don't they?"

            "Yes, they usually do," he heard himself agreeing with her distractedly, mind already racing on how long it would take to reach that neighborhood and the preparations that needed to be made for a proper heist, especially one where the prize was a living, breathing, sort-of miko who'd been kidnapped by youkai once before.  There were bound to be traps and at least one youkai hanging around if his instincts were correct.

            _'As much as I hate to say it, we should wait until it gets dark,' _Youko drawled out thoughtfully.  '_We can avoid any humans completely, and any youkai can get distracted by a well-placed illusion or a nice surprise.'_

_            We should wait until Keiko convinces her to come to us,_ Hiei folded his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow at the kitsune.  _As much as _I_ don't want to wait any longer for answers, it's the intelligent thing to do._

_            'And give that fucking dog more time to figure out what we're planning for her?' _Youko let out a snort of derision.  '_What if she _is_ better acquainted with him than we think and she tells him about coming here?  He'd never let her anywhere near this house if he knew.'_

            If_ he knows we're here,_ Hiei reminded him pointedly.  _And _if_ he stops her, then _we'll _know he has something to do with that Takeharuka person, since that is the only youkai who knows where we're staying._

            _That answers one question, but makes it harder for us to steal her from him if it's true, _Kurama frowned sharply at the thought, turning the possibilities over in his head.  _We can figure out a way to do both, but… I'd rather not make it next to impossible for myself if I can help it._

            '_We could always get the woods to hide us when we know she's coming,'_ Youko suggested, sitting back as he tapped at his lips to start his own planning on the alternate scenario.  _'If he can't feel us watching her then he might leave her unprotected long enough for us to voice our intentions and shift her loyalties.  After all, Keiko and her sons would hardly seem a threatening presence to a youkai.'_

"She said she would speak with Shinju-sama about accepting students outside the family," Keiko continued, completely unaware of the silent plotting the two youkai on the other end had become engrossed in.  "She's going to call me tomorrow and let me know, but either way, she said she would come and have a look at the boys."

            _Shinju?!_ Kurama's eyes widened.

            _The driver of the car,_ Hiei swore at the proof of at least that connection.  _And she said they're all related?_

_            That doesn't make sense though,_ Kurama gritted his teeth.  _If they're related, why would they kidnap her off the street?_  

            _'Why else?  To keep her away from us,_' Youko shrugged as if that should have been obvious.  '_But still, the brother didn't know-'_

_            He stopped at the street… when he heard the name,_ Hiei's eyes narrowed as he went back over the encounter, waves of frustration coming off the hybrid in almost tangible waves.

            _Dammit, how twisted is this puzzle going to get?!_ Kurama fumed.

            _And how much influence do these youkai have on a family from a temple?_ Hiei added that question.  _Why would monks and mikos be familiar enough with those kinds of creatures to be involved in such a complex plot like that?_

            '_More importantly,' _Youko interrupted their questions softly, his voice perfectly serious.  '_What does this particular temple family have to do with Koenma's latest bout of paranoia?  Doesn't it seem suspicious that we only recently noticed this girl and this family when we discovered youkai living in Ningenkai?  While that Rekai brat is reading ancient myths and searching for youkai directly involved with such things?'_

            Kurama and Hiei shared a long look before the kitsune turned his attention back to the phone, "Keiko, was there anything strange about this temple?"

            _Aside from never seeing it before when it's supposedly such a prominent structure? _Hiei's voice took on a particularly sardonic edge.

            _Shut up, Hiei,_ Kurama glared at him, responding to Keiko's own request for clarification, "Were there worshippers?  Tourists?"

            "Oh… no… nothing like that," Keiko shook her head, not thinking that he couldn't see the automatic motion.  "But it was still a bit early, they may have just not opened to the public yet."

            _I doubt that,_ Hiei snorted.  _But I don't like the uncertainty of this, Kurama.  It'll be safer if she's here on Yuusuke's property when we confront her instead of on her own grounds.  Safer for us in case she's better than she thinks she is._

            '_I still don't like the idea of waiting,'_ Youko protested.  '_A lot can happen in twenty-four hours, especially with humans.'_

            _But Kurabara told Yuusuke that Takeharuka was in meetings with his higher-ups,_ Kurama chewed his lip in an uncharacteristic motion of nervousness.  _If he's a youkai, then such meetings would keep him occupied long enough for her to come to us without his escort._

            '_But not without _an_ escort,'_ Youko observed.  _'If she's important to him, he'll be having her watched at all times that she's out of arm's reach.'_

            _Then all the better to bring her here where it can be all three of us, _Hiei ground his heel into Yuusuke's abdomen harder when the human took a swing at him again, grateful that he'd at least stopped the ineffective swearing.  _It would look too suspicious if we all took Keiko and her sons instead of only Yuusuke.  They'd be on their guard or maybe even try to take off with her again._

            _'_I_ still don't like this,'_ Youko pouted, giving Kurama the clear impression of stubbornly folding his arms and kicking his chin up stubbornly.  '_I want to go get her now.'_

            _You'd be weaker in the temple, baka,_ Hiei warned him.  _An old temple will have enough power to make us uncomfortable no matter how much the bloodlines may have thinned with time.  Be patient, Fox, let her come to us._

'_I don't want to be patient_.'

            _You're acting like a spoiled child,_ Hiei pinned him with a superior frown.  _You're an old bastard who knows how to wait for the right time, so start acting like it.  Another day won't kill you._

            '_Another night could,_' he retorted slyly.  '_Care to-?_'

            _No_.

            '_You're no fun at all sometimes,'_ Youko sighed regretfully.  _'You sexually repressed crossbreed.'_

            _You're not winning any points for yourself, you perverted little parasite_.

            _'Don't be jealous because I'm so much bigger than you are, chibi size-queen_.'

            _Why you fucking-!_

            "Oh!  There's the train!" Keiko's voice cut in again.  "Tell Yuusuke I'm going to pick the boys up from classes after I go to the market and then I'll be home, all right, Kurama?"

            "I'll tell him," Kurama rubbed his aching head, trying in vain to shut out the increasingly lewd insults being traded back and forth.  "Please be careful coming home, Keiko."

            "You're such a sweetheart, Kurama," he could hear her smiling.  "Don't let them kill each other, okay?"

            "I'll try to restrain them," he turned scowl at where Hiei and Yuusuke were starting their awkward push and shove to fight for who was in control.  _She didn't say anything about me killing you two._

            _She thinks you're too _sweet_ for that,_ Hiei taunted snidely.

            _You're dead as soon as I hang up this phone, Hiei_.

            _Try me_.

            "I'll see you soon then," Keiko hung up and moved to get a good spot before the doors opened, blissfully unaware of the promised war about to break loose in her own kitchen.

~*~*~*~

            "I'm positive you wouldn't want us taking on other students just yet, but I did promise her I would feel out her sons," Kagome hopped up to sit on the counter beside the fridge, leaning around to make sure Shippou wasn't going to try and pull rank over what channel to watch before she settled in for what was bound to be a long conversation.

            "And why did you promise such a thing?" 

            She leaned her head to hold the receiver firmly between her ear and shoulder, leaving her hands free to pick at the Chinese takeout the kitsune had been craving for dinner, "It's a couple of kids from the area, Sesshoumaru, and if they really do have heightened awareness, I figured that you would want to know about it now."

            "I'm not sure if it's more annoying when you're being foolish or when you're actually making sense," his voice had a weary note that made her smile.  "And I would prefer it if you waited until I could be there to supervise the visit."

            "You're in council though," she reminded him, gesticulating with her chopsticks out of habit.  "The lords would be offended if you up and left them to watch over a miko reading children's auras."

            "I have decided that it ismore annoying when you're making sense."

            "She found the temple, and whether the barrier just wasn't properly recreated after your visit or it's something in her blood that let her through, we need to know," she ignored that to try and make him understand her point of view.

            "If the barrier was poorly constructed in such a fashion, miko, I intend to re-instruct as to what is acceptable and what is not," Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, pacing back to the massive windows that took up the greater portion of the west wall of his penthouse.

            Kagome chuckled, jamming the utensils into her leftover noodles to stand them up and get a hand free to hold the phone up in a more comfortable position, "The thought is annoying, isn't it?  Look, I don't know, Sesshoumaru, we were a bit distracted.  But if you're just worried about me being alone, I'll take Shippou with me.  I didn't feel any corruption in her soul though."

            "If you think I would permit you to go an outing to read auras without Takashima's escort, you spent too much time absorbing my brother's stupidity," he resisted the urge to take the phone away from his ear and glare at it in her absence.  "The slightest hiccup in power, miko, and you're to let him get you out of there as fast as possible, do I make myself clear?"

            "Yes, Sesshoumaru," she made a face, switching sides with the phone and setting the remainder of her dinner in the sink.

            "Don't recite an agreement you don't mean," his voice hardened, easily reading into her weaknesses and bringing them into the open to force her to acknowledge them as well. "Even if children are involved, I will be displeased should I find that you have endangered yourself unnecessarily."

            Kagome leaned back against the refrigerator and sighed heavily, instinct warring with reason until she nodded, "I understand."

            "There are plenty of youkai with children for you to tend to within the family if you are feeling the need to kill your eardrums," his voice softened just enough for her to relax and smile at his guarded concern.  "I have no wish to isolate you, and I cannot change the past, but you must be protected."

            Kagome stared down at her hand, turning it over to let her eyes roam the faint circular scar across her palm, "You already know I would fight you."

            "Indeed," she could hear a faint rustle as he shifted to a more comfortable position to watch the sunlight fading from the sky and giving way to the sporadic twinkle of stars.  "And as I have no desire to waste our time in such a pointless action…"

            She grinned, closing her hand into a fist and watching the tracers of pale violet energy curl around it in graceful wisps, "Let's not and say we did?"

            "You are starved for attention to be behaving this way," Sesshoumaru frowned at the phone, changing his focus to view his reflection rather than the sky.  "What is going through that head of yours?"

            "Sometimes it's disturbing the way you do that," her voice lowered softly, tucking her knees to her chest and wrapping an arm around them. "I still feel like I'm going to wake up alone in my bed, at the shrine and missing everyone… not having any idea if any youkai survived to this time."

            Sesshoumaru didn't bother mentioning how telling it was that her nightmares took her to that point in her life rather than even further, to back before she had even become involved in the past.

            "It's probably just because I've been feeling strange lately, like there's something in the air…   Waiting," she continued uncertainly.

            Sesshoumaru stayed silent another moment as he digested that, "Threatening?"

            "Sometimes," Kagome nodded and closed her eyes.  "But I was with you the first time I felt it, so I didn't think it was worth mentioning."

            "Do not insult my intelligence, miko, you did not find it _worth_ mentioning because you knew I would not have allowed you to leave the compound," he could almost taste her blush through the phone, hearing her fidget before she answered him.

            "It comes and goes, but there's something else…" Kagome began hesitantly, willing to get herself a different kind of trouble if only to turn his attention away from that stalking sensation.

            _Damn_, Sesshoumaru's hand clenched ever so slightly when he heard the wistful note creep into her voice.

            "You're not going to want to hear it either," Kagome pushed off the counter, grateful to the inventor of the cordless phone as she stepped away from the possibility of curious ears and out the door to the backyard garden.

            "You are thinking of that kitsune who was so inappropriately forward with you," Sesshoumaru stated, lifting his hand to watch dispassionately as the green glow of poison seeped out to reflect back on his features in stark relief.

            Kagome slowed down before she could walk out of the reception range, not really surprised to find herself already lifting a hand to idly trace her fingertip over one of Shinju's roses thoughtfully, "I can't… I can't get his eyes out of my head."

            "You have seen the most beautiful of youkai, miko, and now you are going to tell me that you've been dazzled by a pretty face?" his voice filled with disapproval.  "That isn't like you."

            "He is beautiful, but that's not what I mean," she looked up at the sky, feeling strangely like a little girl explaining a bad crush to an unenthusiastic parent and muttering a few choice remarks about her own mind for supplying her with that mental image.

            "Explain it then."

            "They were just so…" _hungry_, "expressive," she tried for more diplomacy out loud, well aware of what her knee-jerk description would get her.  "Like he wanted me to see into his soul."  _He wanted me to admire him… and to want him._

            "I find this information unsettling," he finally spoke after a long, contemplative silence.  "Unknown kitsunes do not appear on the street from nowhere wanting human girls to 'see into their souls' or bare their offspring."

            "But where did he come from if you don't know him?" Kagome wondered curiously.  "You told me that most youkai stay in their own realm since that giant barrier was made to split the worlds."

            "They do," Sesshoumaru watched the stripes fade in on the pale skin of his forearm, allowing his claws to form as he mentally tortured the creature daring to encroach where he was not welcomed.  "And the ones who do are generally removed by beings of exceptional powers that are found and employed by the Rekai level… if I do not kill them first."

            Kagome smirked at his own wistful tone, "You miss the days when we could just kill the things that were threatening without having to keep up appearances."

            "This Sesshoumaru has little patience for creatures who are too foolish to realize that they are begging for their own death," the timbre of his voice changed, practically dripping with the arrogance he displayed so expertly. 

            "So do I," she admitted reluctantly, sitting down in the grass beside the rose bush and trying to ignore the buildings blocking her view of the sky.  "I'm not a very good human to say that, am I?"

            "If it settles your mind, miko, you were not a very good human to begin with."

            Kagome blinked and started to laugh helplessly, "I guess not.  Still, I didn't use to be the type of person who thought that killing can be a perfectly acceptable answer to a problem."

            "You adapted your mind and soul to your environment in a way that very few humans in your position could have accomplished, to living in wild times," Sesshoumaru reminded her matter-of-factly.  "It is hardly a shameful thing that you learned how to survive your constant battles and near deaths."

            "I'm not going to fit in with real humans again, am I?" Kagome's voice softened so much that even he had a hard time catching it, swallowing hard against the pang of regret and loss.  _I've seen men look at me that way since I got back… they've asked me out… and I didn't feel a thing.  But two seconds with a kitsune holding my hands…_

            Sesshoumaru frowned at the thought of how many times she had to have sat up at night and entertained such matters without the aid of their influence to soften the blow.  In his experience, the miko thrived in groups, in a family setting where she felt she had a place and while not necessarily humans, others that she could care about.  These future humans had no such thing for her and they both knew it.

            "No."

            Kagome nodded, grateful for how bluntly he spoke and yet again turning her eyes skyward to peer through the city's haze, "I'm sorry I tried to purify myself."

            "You are forgiven so long as that stubborn brain of yours accepts that while these humans may hold no place for you anymore, your home is among us," Sesshoumaru tried to sound as gentle as he could manage with as tasteless as he found that emotion.  "You are above the petty fools who populate this era with their lack of concern with anything beyond their selfish desires."

            She pulled the phone away from her ear to stare at it in amazement at the uncharacteristic but certainly not unwelcome effort to cheer her up, licking her lips before she settled it at her ear again and murmured, "I have to admit that I never thought I would be in this position, talking to you and hearing you speak like this, I mean, when I first stared you down across Tetsusaiga.  But then again, it took forever for that life to feel real to me."

            "Do you regret, miko?"

            There was a note of genuine curiosity in his question that gave her pause, well aware that Sesshoumaru's patience would hold until she was ready to answer, "When I first realized I was back, I tried…  I thought it might be easier, but… no."

            "You find the troubles and concerns of these humans as pointless as we do," he completed the thought for her, voicing what she couldn't or wouldn't say.

            Kagome nodded and sighed, "It seems so empty.  When I look back on the past before the well, I can't help but think of how much I changed my entire family just by becoming what I did."

            "We all have places in our pasts that seem so," he willed the poison to vanish when he noticed the hiss of the carpet melting at his feet and turned to look at his left arm with a faint smile.  "But then again, miko, would you give up the self you are now in exchange for that emptiness returning?"

            "No," she smiled with more conviction.

            "Then do not allow your soul to be tainted with such thoughts of your former self," he instructed patiently.  "Your late husband and friends torture themselves enough with misguided regrets over the loss of your naiveté."

            Kagome chuckled and shook her head at the memory, "Don't I know it."

            "And do not feel troubled by finding yourself displaced in this human society," he continued crisply now that he knew she was actually absorbing his instructions.  "You will learn to play a part for them when necessary just as we all have learned to do, but behind that façade you will be free to be yourself at home."

            "A youkai home?" she arched an eyebrow, lying back in the grass with a sigh.

            "Yes, miko, a youkai home," Sesshoumaru cracked a hint of a smile.  "You belong to another life now, one that understands the deeper existence that lurks beneath their peaceful surface, and the concept of having to fight for one's survival."

            "In other words, being among more people who wish times were as simple as life and death again too?" she shifted when she felt the familiar ache in the center of her back.

            "Among beings that will not hesitate to kill if the need should arise," he reworded her observation.  "I will not have you in a position where there is no one to protect you should things get out of hand."

            "I don't think that's going to happen," she rolled her eyes.  "Comparatively speaking… you're in danger of coddling me, Sesshoumaru-sama."

            "This Sesshoumaru does not 'coddle,' miko, this Sesshoumaru protects the things and persons that belong to him."

            Kagome bit back a snicker, fully able to picture his rigid stance at such an accusation of what he perceived as a weakness, "Have it your way.  So was it on your orders that Shippou crawls in bed with me at night, or is that all him?"

            "Kitsune are most effectively comforted and reassured by physical contact," Sesshoumaru reached up to press a fingertip to the thick glass in front of him as the very last hint of pink faded from the dusky sky.  "That was his place of choice in the past, was it not?"

            "Unless I was with Miroku," she raked a hand through her hair.  "That reminds me… is it normal for him to be so… ah-?"

            "Childish?"

            "I was going to say silly-"

            "And you would have meant childish."

            "Oh fine," she shrugged that off in favor of actually getting the answer she wanted.  "Either way, _is _it normal?"

            "Unfortunately," he let out a long-suffering sigh.  "The breed is playful by nature, miko, and age not have the usual mellowing effect as it has with other youkai.  Adult kitsune simply become smarter and more cunning.  They believe that they refine and perfect their methods of gaining personal amusements."

            "There's a disturbing thought," Kagome remarked absently, recalling some of Shippou's more impressive pranks from childhood.

            "Indeed," Sesshoumaru managed to convey his frustration and annoyance without a single inflection.  "Their saving grace is that they do have a strong sense of their ideas of honor and family.  They also take great pride in excelling with the areas they feel they are specialized in, and as Takashima lives to impress and protect you, it has made his presence somewhat bearable."

            "Oh my gods… you're venting because I convinced you to watch out for Shippou!" Kagome accused him in open disbelief.

            "This Sesshoumaru does not vent."

            "You _are!_" she sat up and giggled at the very idea.  "You're lecturing me about kitsune because you want an apology!"

            "They also have no shame."

            Kagome's laughter rang out across the courtyard, echoing off the trees and bouncing back to her at the absolute disgust coloring the taiyoukai's voice, "Oh!  Oh damn-!"

            "Your perverted husband's 'help' was also not appreciated," he added blandly as soon as she got herself under control.

            "Stop!" she choked out, trying hard not to picture the stoic-faced youkai dealing with what he was insinuating and failing miserably.  "I can't breathe, Sesshoumaru!"

            "I refuse to handle any more of such behavior," Sesshoumaru informed her loftily.  "He is your younger brother and as such, _you_ are now responsible for answering any future questions of that nature."

            "Yes, Sesshoumaru," she bit her lip hard in an effort to stave off more laughter.

            "You will also not share the asked questions with me."

            "No?"

            "Don't think yourself above punishment, miko," the slightest growl snuck into his voice, entertaining her to no end.

            "All right," she promised reluctantly.

            "Good.  I will be in the Makai to hunt until tomorrow evening while you visit this neighbor and her children," he switched back to his 'business' voice seamlessly.  "Takashima will accompany you, and you will-?"

            "Leave if anything that could be dangerous sets off my senses even a little bit," Kagome recited obediently.

            "This includes the attractive kitsune you cannot remove from your thoughts and are attempting to make me forget," Sesshoumaru made that distinction in a particularly cool voice.

            "But he's not a threatening presence-" Kagome started to protest.

            "I am not aware of his existence through direct introduction."

            "_I _could get you that introduction, or at least information of who he is and where he came from!"

            "If I were the one escorting you, it would be different," Sesshoumaru turned away from the window to lean back against it, soaking in the cool feel of the glass through the thin dress shirt.  "However, I am not, and I do not trust his intentions."

            Kagome rolled her eyes, "I can handle one kitsune."

            "Regardless, Kagome," he pushed away from the window to return to his desk, scowling at the images spread out across the immaculate surface.  "I do not want you confronting him.  Stay away from this youkai."

            "You're being paranoid," Kagome scolded.

            "I am meticulous and careful as I have always been where you are too trusting and unsuspicious," he retorted.  "You are lucky to have this Sesshoumaru to prevent you from falling victims to such flaws."

            Kagome smiled affectionately into the phone, finally letting out a sigh as she nodded, "All right, Sesshoumaru, I'll do my best to avoid running into him."  _Can't promise I won't _think_ about him though._

            "Good," he nodded in approval.  "I will call you tomorrow evening for your report, miko."

            "Yes, sir," she put a mock militant tone to her voice, but ruined it a moment later by giggling more.  "C'mon, it's a couple of kids.  It won't be much of a report."

            "This Sesshoumaru has learned not to underestimate your singular ability to attract the most unexpected circumstances."

            "Nice to know I keep you safe from boredom."

            "That was not a compliment."

            Kagome grinned again and looked back up at the brightening stars, "Admit it, Sesshoumaru-sama, you like having me around even if I do attract trouble."

            "I expect you to be asleep at a decent hour if you're intending to use your magic in public tomorrow," he ignored her sly remark to make that order clear.  "Do not overextend yourself and do not expand your search beyond human auras."

            "Kill joy."

            "I will begin retraining you at the end of the council since you seem so eager to begin," Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow, despite being inwardly pleased at the changed note in her voice, the genuine happiness coloring those dulcet tones.

            Kagome made a face, "I can hardly wait."

            "It is good to see you are appropriately grateful this Sesshoumaru is so concerned with your personal instruction," he smirked into the phone.

            "Grateful like a-"

            "Go to sleep, Kagome," Sesshoumaru chuckled and abruptly set his phone back in its cradle before she could finish what was no doubt going to be a highly disrespectful remark.

~*~

            On the other end of the call, Kagome pulled the receiver away from her ear and stuck her tongue out at it when the dial tone cut through the stillness of the night, sighing as she turned it off and started to put it down.  Just before she could, her brows drew together and she changed her mind, turning it back on as she dug into her pocket for the number she wanted.

            Kagome stretched her legs out in front of her, kicking off her sandals to feel the grass against her skin while she listened to the ring and waited for a response.

            "Urameshi residence," Kagome's brows rose at the clipped tones and she had to quickly bite back the urge to gasp out the name of a certain hanyou she could easily picture on the other end of that type of response.

            Still, she had to blink and reset her thoughts to resist the urge before she spoke, "Ah!  Sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for Urameshi Keiko?"

            "That's my wife, she's outside."

            Kagome's lips twitched and she knew he could probably hear how close she was to laughing when she spoke again, "This is Higurashi Kagome, Urameshi-san… I met your wife this morning and she asked me to see your sons?"

            The line on the other end went almost eerily silent, and Kagome frowned in confusion, tilting her head and prodding, "Urameshi-san?"

            "Yeah, yeah!" he nearly yelled into the phone, making her jump in surprise when she heard a crash and a snarled curse before the noises were muffled by something.  Even then she could hear the hiss, "No!  Fuck you! My house, my phone!"

            Now Kagome was really laughing despite all her best efforts, "Is this a bad time, Urameshi-san?"

            "What?  No, no!" he protested in a rush, the sounds becoming clearer to her again as he pulled it back to his mouth.  "Sorry, Higurashi, but I've got an unwelcome houseguest who's being a bit of a bastar-_OW!_"

            "Yuusuke, you do _not_ speak like that on the phone to a miko!" Kagome recognized the female voice as Keiko and quickly covered her mouth to try and keep them from being offended by her continued amusement.  "And why in the world are you standing on Hiei?!"

            "He started it."

            _Oh my sweet gods, I'm going to die right here,_ Kagome hunched her shoulders, taking a deep breath to get her voice somewhat normal enough to speak.  "I can call back," she offered.

            "_No!_  Ah-!  I mean, no… really, it's a good time to call, Higurashi," the identified Yuusuke sounded a bit nervous, but she shrugged it off given that earlier "ow" that had accompanied Keiko's censure.  "I'm sorry, it's just that my friend has recently discovered a… weird obsession with phones."

            Hiei glared up at Yuusuke from the floor, unwilling to let that comment slide, _That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you use as an excuse._

            "Shut the hell up."

            "Excuse me?" Kagome blinked in surprise, not quite sure she'd heard right.

            "Give me that," there was a scuffle for a moment and a jumble of voices before it quieted again and Kagome found herself listening to Keiko's familiar voice.  "I'm so sorry, Kagome-sama, but my husband is… well-"

            "It's all right, Urameshi-san, I don't mind it," Kagome waved that off, glancing back at the house and crossing her fingers that Shippou wouldn't do anything silly when they visited after hearing how similar some of the arguing was to their own in the past.  "I know I said I would call tomorrow, but my day opened up and I was wondering if you wanted me to drop by on such short notice?"

            Keiko pressed the phone to her throat and glared sharply at her hovering audience when she saw them start to step forward again, "Back off or I'll tell her that we're busy!"  Satisfied when they had moved away, she cleared her throat and smiled, "It's not too soon, Kagome-sama."

            "You're sure?"

            Keiko glanced at the expressions around her and remarked dryly into the phone, "Trust me, Kagome-sama."


	17. Mirrors of the Soul

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -starts digging a nice deep hole to hide from Kazusa-  Good gods, I must be insane to be encouraging her to come after me, but…  -shrugs and snickers-  Sorry, can't help it.  Although, I'm not in a big hurry to get sat on again, you evil evil wench.  –flops over and sighs deeply-  Ah, I adore you guys so much for being such sweethearts, you know?  I've had so much fun getting emails and little IM buddies… LOL, so far it's been an absolute blast and I love hearing all the things you've enjoyed.  Now I know that some of you have questions, and I'll try to answer what I can, but I've already said that I won't give away any spoilers. –winks and blows kisses-  But enough of me rambling… I know you'd rather read the story after all.  ^__~  -crosses fingers and prays she isn't about to be killed-

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Mirrors of the Soul ~

            "But they're _my_ pants!" Shippou whined out petulantly, stuffing his hands down in the pockets of his jeans and hunching his shoulders as he shortened his stride to match Kagome's down the sidewalk.  He glanced over mournfully at what used to be his favorite pair of dark cargos, belted tightly to stop them from falling off and legs folded up to keep from tripping her up.  "You're ruining them, Nee-san, it's not fair," he pouted and scuffed his foot on the sidewalk when she stopped to check the map again.

            "Maybe if someone had checked and noticed that his name was under laundry, I would be wearing my own," Kagome didn't even bother looking up at him as she refolded the hand-written page and slipped it back in her pocket.

            "They look terrible on you," he tried again.

            "I'll survive being seen in public in your pants, Shippou," she reached back and grabbed his wrist, tugging him along when he balked again.

            "They won't be expecting to see a miko show up dressed like a teenager," Shippou stuck out his tongue, grumbling under his breath before he sighed and gave up on the argument to try a different approach.  "Appearances, Kagome.  Shouldn't you try to be more impressive?"

            "Not really," Kagome shrugged it off, and checked the street-signs to make sure she didn't take the wrong turn.  "I'm not ever going to be able to be a miko the way I probably should be, so why should I fake it and be uncomfortable?  It's not like a hakama is going to make a difference over what I'm capable of doing, and it's silly to pretend it will.  For crying out loud, Shippou, I ran around Sengoku Jidai purifying the jewel and youkai, _and_ taking Miroku's lessons just fine wearing a middle-school uniform for a long time."

            "But you still stood apart," he pointed out.

            "I wasn't trying to fit in, and I sure as hell didn't want everyone knowing instantly that I was a miko," she looked back at him over her shoulder with a faint spark in her eyes that he recognized from the past, the way she would smile at the well after she first decided to stop using it.  "There were enough rumors with things the way they were, and it was just easier to do it that way after a while."

            Shippou let out a sigh, shaking off her hold and using an awkward hop-skip to move to her side so he could wrap his arm comfortingly around her shoulders before she could really start getting into her quiet contemplation mode, "I just want them to treat you respectfully, Kagome.  You make yourself too approachable to strangers."

            Kagome rolled her eyes, but slid her arm around his waist and let him set the pace, "You've spent too much time with Sesshoumaru if you think that being approachable is a bad thing."

            "Just to strangers," he emphasized with a grin, kissing her cheek and darting out ahead of her, glancing around to make sure they weren't being observed before forming his familiar roller-blades with a faint _pop_.  He folded his arms behind his head and lazy pushed himself along backwards in front of her, "You can look as nice as you want with _us_.  We just don't want someone else to get the idea that you're available."

            She couldn't help but laugh at the way he turned up his nose, recalling Sesshoumaru's remarks from the night before about the kitsune's ideas where she was concerned, "You're over-reacting to a simple errand."

            "You're just not as on guard as you should be," Shippou scolded.  "You're always too mellow and easy after you've been neglecting yourself for that long and Sesshoumaru steps in to take care of you.  I remember the lectures he used to give you."

            "Relax, Shippou," Kagome reached up and fluffed his illusion-shortened bangs out of his eyes, giggling when he nipped at her hand with a soft mock-growl.  "I'm not going to be careless just because I feel better, but I'm also not going to let your paranoia rule where I go and who I talk to.  If you all had your way, I would sit in Sesshoumaru's office all day and never see anyone outside the family."

            "That's not true!" Shippou protested, but a faint hint of pink was splashed across his cheeks.  "You'd go out with us."

            It earned him a flick on the nose, "And no one else.  Don't think I don't remember how much you all hover if I gave you half a chance."

            "You never minded when Miroku hovered," Shippou rubbed his nose and made his voice sound particularly hurt.  "_He_ didn't like it when you smiled at every pretty youkai we wandered across either."  He leaned in close and whispered quietly, "Especially not when you were round."  _Bastard humans and their weird obsession with flirting with breeding females…_

            Kagome burst out laughing and swatted him on the chest, well aware that he was good enough with the skates to barely move under the extra pressure, "Baka, he had a reason to hover, and 'especially' then."

            "Well so do we," Shippou defended and skated a lazy circle around her when they paused again to wait out more traffic signals, feet positioned out like a dancer to keep him facing her through the entire move.  "You need us, and we love you!  Doesn't that mean we have the right to keep you to ourselves?"

            She slanted him another amused look, shaking her head and sighing as the blink of green indicated it was safe to cross the street out towards the quieter residential areas, "I don't intend to be hoarded away like a dirty little secret, no matter how much safer it would be."

            Shippou wrinkled his nose and kicked off lightly to follow her, "Dragons hoard, Nee-san.  I'm a kitsune, and we collect.  It's much more respectable."

            "My mistake," Kagome managed just barely to hold a straight face at the pride that filled his voice and the unconscious lifting of his shoulders that she remembered so well from his much younger days when he was in the mood to preen for her admiration.  "At any rate, Shippou, I'm not going to be 'collected' away into the house and only leave when Sesshoumaru can clear up his schedule.  Can't you imagine how boring that would be?"

            "But I'd be there to keep you company," he promised her enthusiastically, pressing his hand to his chest.  "I'm not boring!"

            "You're not going to win this argument, you know," she informed him through her helpless laughter.  "Sesshoumaru and I have had this discussion already, and he knows that I won't settle for that."

            "Then can I have my pants back before they crease like that permanently?" he slid around in front of her when they reached the other side of the street, making his eyes as big and liquid as possible and pointing down to the cuffed legs.

            "Keep that up and I won't give them back at all," Kagome promised with a sly look that had his shoulders slumping in reluctant submission.  She chuckled when he mumbled in assent and folded his hands behind his back, skating in a wider circle until the mild pout passed.  He absently hopped up to slide along rails and bounce over the various items littering the walkway to earn a word of praise here and there from his ever-watchful sibling.

            Kagome could see how much easier it was for him to relax the farther they got from the more heavily populated areas, the edginess of being surrounded by so many unknown auras and the nearly oppressive feel of the unnatural creations distorting and corrupting even the air.  If it was enough to make Kagome feel like she was continuously walking through a haze of filth, she could only imagine what it was like to the much more sensitive youkai.  The noise alone-

            _So harsh you've become to your own kind, miko…_

            Kagome snapped around in an instant, alert and poised with both hands in a ready position to summon up her energy, eyes flashing as they darted over the oddly empty street to search for the source of that low, chilling whisper still echoing in her ears… in her soul.

            That worried her more that she was willing to admit, and with Shippou humming cheerfully as he skated abstract patterns along the sidewalk and street, she wasn't about to let any of her anxiety show on her face.  He'd turn her right around and haul her off to Sesshoumaru, just like he'd done when that kitsune had appeared.

            _Or perhaps not so harsh with what you've now become_.__

            She wasn't aware of her hands moving up into her hair, automatically collecting the heavy mass into a high ponytail and securing it with the simple band that never left her wrist for just such an occurrence.  After Sango's repeated lectures on decreasing the ease of someone being able to catch hold of her, it had become second nature to tie it up at the first hint that there may be a battle.  And with a voice speaking straight into her mind as though they had every right to be there, as though they knew her intimately…

            _They cannot possibly satisfy your desires_.

            Kagome felt her palms warm, forcefully hiding the magic that so badly wanted to offer a more visual warning to the creature that dared to enter into her thoughts without permission.  It wasn't enough to prevent the way the air around her went perfectly still, mentally apologizing to Sesshoumaru for breaking her promise as she filtered out everything she could feel surrounding her to find the source.

            But… there was nothing.__

            A low chuckled filled her thoughts, and Kagome's eyes narrowed sharply to cover her shock, _What are you?_

_            I'm hurt, Kagome, you don't remember me?_ the purr came at her ear, snapping her around to stare at the empty road and Shippou up ahead with his back to her.  _And here we were nearly lovers._

            Kagome felt a chill run down her spine, swearing darkly at the perfectly normal feeling around her when there was so very obviously something unnatural trying to find a way into her head, _A ghost…_

            _Maybe… but then, are you sure, my beautiful Tama?_

            The flush of purifying energy swept out against her will at the sound of that sickening nickname, invisible to human eyes, but enough that Shippou turned back in concern and called out in rapid demand, "Kagome?"

            _Dream of me until we can be together again_.

            "I'm all right, Shippou," Kagome insisted, clenching her jaw as that whispering presence vanished completely, leaving her skin cold and hypersensitive even as her soul slowly purified it off her skin.  "I just had a bad memory is all."  _That wasn't Naraku… but how did he know-?_

            "Maybe we should go home," he stopped and skated back to her side, reaching out to press his hand flat against her sternum.  "You look too white."

            Kagome shook it off and flashed him a smile, "Really, I'm okay.  It was only for a moment, and look, back to normal."  She held up her hands for inspection, letting his eyes roam over the almost undetectable images ingrained in her skin, "I promise I'm all right to do this, and it's just what I need to get my mind off the past."  _I am not going to hide just because I heard a voice saying such things, I'm stronger than that now.  I just have to find out what I felt…_

            Shippou continued to look at her suspiciously for a moment, but finally sighed and nodded, holding out his hand, "Which house are we going to?"

            Kagome let out a breath she hadn't really been aware of holding, digging in her pocket to pass him the address she'd written down earlier, waiting for him to take it before she started walking and nodded up ahead, "The end of this block.  She said it's the house back away from the others and in the trees."

            Shippou read the address and froze, eyes widening in alarm, _Oh fuck me running…_

~*~*~*~

            "You ain't old."

            Kagome blinked down at the boy who'd opened the door to her knock, bursting out laughing at the way he eyed her with open mistrust after making that confused announcement, "I have to be old?"

            "Well yeah!" he shrugged with all the authoritative confidence of a boy his age, folding his arms over his chest and mimicking the stance he'd seen his father take time and time again.  "Tou-san said mikos were old and creepy looking, like Genkai-babaa… And why do you have a kid on skates attached to your ass?"

            "Kagome, we should go," Shippou tugged more insistently on her belt, ignoring the dry look she sent him over his shoulder at the rather accurate description the child had just given.  Pausing to stick out his tongue at the boy he knew was the Urameshis' oldest for his remark, and ignoring the way he puffed up and shook his fist as Shippou tried dragging her backwards off the porch unsuccessfully, "Really, really… we should go before-"

            "Ryou!" Keiko's startled voice pulled them away from their staring match and back around to the woman hurrying to the doorway to scoop up the child.  "How many times have I told you not to answer the door by yourself?"

            "No one was answering when she knocked!  They were too busy," Ryou defended, pointing outside at Kagome almost accusingly at being scolded for answering her knock.  "You wanted the fake miko to stand out here alone?  You tell Tou-san it's bad manners when he does it."

            "Fake miko?" Keiko repeated in confusion, looking up at the bright amusement making Kagome's eyes really sparkle.

            "I am not old and creepy looking," she recited with perfect seriousness, biting back a giggle when Ryou nodded in sage agreement with her, obviously delighted that _this _grown-up understood.

            "And you have a weird kid hanging onto your ass."

            "_Urameshi Yuusuke!!_" Keiko turned to yell back into the house, her tone heavy with the type of maternal disapproval that even had Shippou cringing back instinctively.

            "What?  I didn't do anything!" the voice she remembered from the phone preceded the appearance of its owner, his dark brows drawn together in what seemed to be a natural scowl as he leaned out of another doorway inside the house and lounged back on the frame.  "What happened?" 

            "_What_ did I say about cursing around the boys?" she set one hand on her hip, perching Ryou expertly on the other and drumming her fingers as she awaited his response.

            Yuusuke blinked and glanced down at his son and back up to Keiko with a sinking sense of realization, "Shi- ah!" he cut himself off in a rush when her eyes narrowed sharply, holding up his hands in self-defense against her temper and looking for a convenient way to redirect her attention.

            "Really, Urameshi-san, there are a lot of teenage boys in my family, and I'm used to hearing things like that," Kagome cut in.  _And much worse_, she lifted her hand to hide her smile at the grateful look that came her way from the panicking man, but she couldn't stop it when he pulled back in surprise and blinked.  

            "You ain't old," Yuusuke unwittingly repeated his son's first observation, more than a little shocked at just how young this girl standing in his doorway appeared.  She had just… looked so regal in those robes, like a woman that would make anyone bow down in front of her without a second thought or exertion if that was what she wanted.  And here she was on his step in what he would have sworn were boys pants that looked like they would have long ago fallen off without the aid of her belt, hair pulled up high, and one hand stuffed in the front pouch of a plain, hooded sweatshirt.  She looked more like a grad student than some sort of shine priestess-

            "So I was told," Kagome elbowed Shippou in the stomach when she felt the vibration of a growl start in his chest, smiling when her remark seemed to jolt him out of his silent regard and head off Keiko's vocalization of disapproval.

            Keiko glanced back at her, more than a little surprised that a miko was so nonchalant about her husband and son being so disrespectful towards her, but she was genuinely smiling at them.  Even more when Ryou snorted and squared his shoulders, "See?"

            Yuusuke reached up to rub the back of his neck, cheeks slightly pink at having voicing something that sounded so stupid in front of the girl both Kurama and Hiei had been threatening him to impress not five minutes ago, "I meant… ah…"

            "Ignore him please," Keiko insisted, stepping back from the door and backing up to invite Kagome inside.  She opened her mouth to speak again when her eyes finally moved past her to the boy half-hunched behind her, watching them with a bit of a dazed expression when where she'd seen his face before, "Oh!"

            Yuusuke's eyes narrowed, straightening as he stepped forward to see who had caused that reaction from his wife, "Holy- _you!_"

            "You?" Kagome glanced over her shoulder at Shippou, arching an eyebrow when she noted just how tense the kitsune looked under the attention of the Urameshis.  "Shippou, do you know-?"

            "Takashima!" Yuusuke pointed at him, forcefully restraining the urge to pounce on him and shake out the answers he wanted.  It didn't hurt his efforts that Keiko shot him a furious, quelling look and shifted her weight to stand in between their line of sight, but it didn't stop him from grinding his teeth together hard and internally hissing, _Hiei is going to have a fucking fit._

            Shippou had instinctively bared his teeth at the way he felt Yuusuke's ki spike, breath punching out if a "_whoomph_" of surprise when Kagome's elbow came back into his belly in distinct warning to calm down, "I'm sorry, Urameshi-san, I hadn't realized you knew my little brother.  He insisted on coming with me to meet with you."

            _Her brother?  What the hell?  Kurama said he was a kitsune and she's supposed to be a miko,_ Yuusuke looked back and forth between the two of them, setting his jaw hard against the urge to demand what was going on for two such natural enemies to be so close to each other.

            "I took a picture for them," Shippou murmured softly to Kagome in explanation when he realized he was still getting a look from the miko.

            Kagome rolled her eyes and looked back at Keiko's curious expression, subtly feeling out the man watching them with an intensity that set off all sorts of bells and whistles in her mind, _A fighter… this man is a person who knows how to hunt the way we do._  "I had no idea, but I'm sorry I forgot to mention I was bringing a guest.  We can come back-"

            "No, no, it's all right!" Yuusuke interrupted before Keiko could respond, walking towards them to grip the shoji and pull it open wider.  "Please come in, Higurashi, we've been looking forward to your visit."

            Kagome smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, stepping inside as she bent down to untie her shoes and step out of them with her mind already racing, _Sesshoumaru already knows of this family, but why didn't he tell me about them?_  Shippou's attempts to redirect her away from the house were making sense now, and she sent him another look over her shoulder promising a very long talk once they got home to sort out this unexpected mess.

            Shippou nodded tensely, alert and wary as he fanned out his senses to search for the two youkai he knew were hanging around the Urameshi family, even though Kagome would have a better feel for any watchful eyes.  If her focus had been narrowed inward on specifically reading auras, she wouldn't think twice about a few youkai tweaking at the back of her mind unless they were threatening.  A few silent watchers could easily skate under the "radar" as it were.

Inwardly he was kicking himself for failing to ask for the names of the children she intended to read, but at the same time wondering how Sesshoumaru could have possibly failed to get that information himself, _He must be a lot more worried about that news he got from Inuyasha than he's letting on if he missed this._  He looked down at her again and winced, _Then again… he's still going to take this out on me._

            Yuusuke noticed the unease passing across the kitsune's face as he stepped out of his own shoes, hovering over the miko protectively and looking around as he obviously started to search for something, _Probably looking for Kurama and Hiei._

            "I can't tell you how glad I am that you offered to come and meet our sons, Kagome-sama," Keiko smiled warmly as she set Ryou on his feet when Kagome stood and took the step up onto the main floor of the house. 

            "Oh please, don't be so formal," Kagome made a motion with her hand, already looking around and letting her soul sweep out to feel for the pulse of their home, the auras and signatures that blended together into their own unique mix.  "I told you, Urameshi-san, I'm not a very good miko, but I'll do what I can to tell you what kind of energy your boys have inside them."

            "Oi, you some kinda doctor?" Ryou piped up, pressing into his mother's legs in distaste at the idea of this girl giving him some weird examination.  Even if she wasn't old and creepy looking, it wasn't any reason to be willingly poked at, "I ain't sick."

            Kagome crouched down in front of him slowly, balancing lightly on the balls of her feet with the ease of long practice as she got eye to eye with the curious boy, "Don't worry, I'm not a doctor.  But I bet you've had enough of those, haven't you?"  She tilted her head and reached out to run her fingers through his hair the same way she'd done to her own children in the past, eyes filled with understanding when a faint hum of youki sparked along her senses, _They aren't completely human, and taking them to regular doctors if they have youkai blood inside them wouldn't be productive… Damn, why haven't they been re-directed to the right people?_

Ryou rolled his eyes and nodded, standing uncommonly passive under her touch, but something about it relaxed him, "Too much!  Maybe you'll be okay since you know what I mean."

            "I imagine your father does too," Kagome glanced up at Yuusuke when she made that cryptic remark, rising to her feet and ignoring the surprised looks on their faces.  "You said you have another son?"

            Keiko shared a look with her husband, suddenly not too certain this miko wasn't as bad as she claimed to be if she could tell so quickly that it was his influence that made their boys different, "My youngest, Toushi."

            "Don't bother, he's just a baby," Ryou scoffed.  "I'm a lot more interesting."

            "Ryou, don't be rude to your brother," Keiko automatically scolded, clearing her throat as she shook off the odd feelings to lead Kagome back towards the kitchen with her son's help.  Taking advantage of that, she grabbed onto Yuusuke's arm and hauling him with her to hiss out, "Yuusuke, you want to tell me what's going on?"

            "If I knew I would tell you," he assured her in a quick whisper, glancing back to see the kitsune dip down to put his lips at Kagome's ear to have a few private words.  _Shit… I got a bad feeling about this all of a sudden.  Something big is gonna happen._

"I'm guessing Sesshoumaru already knows of the Urameshi family then?" Kagome folded her arms and muttered back to him, keeping her eyes trained forward as they followed slowly enough not to be overheard.

            Shippou nodded rapidly, "It's not safe here, Kagome.  Really, we should get out of here.  Those youkai-"

            "The only thing I'm feeling is trace bits from these boys and more from Yuusuke, Shippou, and it's hardly enough to be concerned with," she cut him off impatiently, frowning in irritation as her thoughts went back to the potential threat of curious doctors.  "Why is he allowing them to be seen by someone outside the family who could draw the wrong attention to their blood?"

            "You'd have to ask him," Shippou chewed on his lip, wracking his brain for the best way to convince her to cut this short.  "Kagome, you've felt them, can we go?"

            "I _looked_ at Ryou, Shippou, and I promised to read their auras," she frowned at him.  "I'm not going to go back on that just because you're fidgety and didn't tell me about them.  Did you know about that kitsune too?"

            "I only took a couple pictures-" he started to protest, but Kagome shook her head and cut him off. 

            "We'll talk when we get home, Shippou," Kagome promised him.  "I don't like the idea of you two talking about this behind my back when I'm involved, but I'm not going to talk about this somewhere public."

            "We were trying to keep you uninvolved," he pouted, but fell silent and trailed along behind her, keeping himself alert in case the absent youkai decided to make an appearance.  He might not be able to get Kagome out of the house until she decided she was finished, but maybe he could distract them and keep them away from her if they tried to come back before they were done.

            Kagome shook her head, muttering a few choice remarks under her breath at the arrogance of certain men, and making a mental note to give Sesshoumaru a piece of her mind to tell her to steer clear of a kitsune he claimed to know nothing about, _Well…that's not exactly right, he didn't say "nothing."  He _did _just say he didn't know him through introduction.  Dammit, he takes way too much leeway with twisting his words around._

            The moment she set foot in the kitchen, however, that train of thought went out the window and Kagome found herself looking around in mild surprise at the drop-cloths taped up on the walls and the plaster dust stubbornly clinging to the tile floor, "Are you remodeling, Urameshi-san?"

            "Keiko is fine, Kagome-sama," Keiko hurried to assure her, determined now to get into a more casual relationship with this miko.  "And… I suppose you could say that.  Yuusuke and his… friends decided they didn't like the way the walls looked in the kitchen."

            Yuusuke had the grace to look abashed at that, stuffing his hands down in his pockets and hunching up his shoulders in a way that had a hint of nostalgia going through Kagome, "I said I was sorry, Keiko."

            "Next time ask me or take it outside," she turned up her nose, coming around to the other side of the table where another boy was looking up Kagome and Shippou curiously.  "And this is Toushi."

            "Your skin looks funny."

            Shippou's spine went rigid, Keiko rushing to scold him in absolute mortification when Kagome waved her hands quickly to stop her, reaching back to give Shippou a reassuring squeeze, "Don't worry, please, Keiko-san, I'm not going to get offended so easily for him just being honest."

            Toushi blinked and tilted his head, glancing around at the adults and dropping his eyes back down to the empty plate in front of him uncomfortably when he realized he was the one who'd caused the discomfort.  He picked up his chopsticks again, drawing mindless patterns on the plate and muttering defiantly, "Well it does."

            _These children are definitely seeing more than they know they can see.  _"Ah, Keiko-san, Urameshi-san," Kagome glanced up at both of them, unaware of the way she widened her stance and clasped her hands behind her in what Shippou had deemed her "instructor" pose.  "Maybe it would be best if I did this alone."

            "Alone?" Yuusuke frowned.

            "It's easier if we don't have distractions," Shippou stepped in to offer that explanation.

            "You too, Shippou," Kagome tossed over her shoulder when she sensed the smirk on his face.  "I don't need your distractions either."

            His face fell, "But-!"

            "You're going to argue with me in public?" she dropped her voice to a whisper and turned back to the couple, not doubting in the slightest that those words alone would be enough to get Shippou's obedience to appeal to his pride.  "If we could go outside, and you can watch from in here if you'd like, but… your auras overlap and make it harder to separate."

            "Liar," Shippou muttered under his breath.

            She discreetly stepped on his foot, her smile never wavering, "It's nothing invasive, I promise, and children don't have the same inhibitions as adults so it's much easier to get a feel for how sensitive they are."

            Shippou suddenly glared outside when he caught a shuffling sound from the woods outside, eyes narrowed through the window to search for anything out of the ordinary while Kagome was looking over the two boys carefully.  He reached forward and pressed his hand to the small of her back to open a connection, _Kagome-_

            _Just woods, Shippou, animals _do _still live in them, you know.  There's no more youki out there than there is in here, _she assured him quickly.

            _That's not really settling my mind,_ he informed her with a frown, vaguely hearing the boys assure their parents that playing with the fake miko in the backyard wouldn't be anything to worry about.  _There's plenty of youki distorting the air here to need to be more careful._

            _I'll be done soon, you twitchy brat,_ her "voice" was full of exasperation, but he still felt the curl of warmth pour through him as she used her focus to sooth him on a deeper level.  _Calm down, Shippou, I promised Sesshoumaru I wouldn't put myself in danger and I won't, all right?  Just because you took some pictures and they recognize you, it doesn't mean they're going to hit me over the head and hold me captive or anything.  Okay?_

He shifted from foot to foot, sighing and giving her a single nod before breaking contact and stepping back to show he was willing to let her go out, "I guess I can entertain myself."

            "C'mon, fake miko lady," Ryou caught his father's own nod of assent and darted forward to grab onto her hand, bored to death at just standing around with the tense vibes being tossed back and forth and guessing from the way she kept frowning at the boy she'd brought with her, that she was too.  "Toushi and I can show you where Takeharuka-sama comes by to wave to us."

            Kagome's brows lifted, but she let herself be dragged back the surprised Urameshis and out the back door with Toushi rushing along behind them, calling out to wait, _Sesshoumaru… waves…?_

Shippou winced slightly at that, knowing that now he was going to hear it even worse, but covered it up with a sigh and moved to lean against the window, "My sister will not take up your time for long, I promise.  We'll be gone before you know it." 

            _No doubt_, Yuusuke eyed the tense line of his jaw, moving down to where his hands were opening and closing in silent frustration.  _She must not have told him she was coming _here… _And he wants to get her out of here before Kurama and Hiei "come back,"_ he smirked at the realization, shaking his head as he realized just how good the plan his friends had come up with was.  Glancing past the kitsune and out to the yard where his sons had all but tackled the miko, laughing slightly at the ease she displayed rough-housing with his boys, "She's good with his kids.  My boys don't usually warm up so fast."

            "Kagome has a gift for making the most difficult people behave affectionately," Shippou raked a hand through his hair, speaking absently as his eyes stayed ever-alert over the foliage for signs that the other kitsune was close by.  "She's a very comforting person to be close with."

            Yuusuke's eyebrow kicked up at the warmth in his tone, more confused than ever but stubbornly holding it back as he watched the way the boy would twitch and shift whenever anything outside moved in the slightest.  For a moment he debated calling him on the obvious edginess, but he let it slide in hopes of getting him preoccupied enough to make another mistake, "Your sister doesn't look old enough to be the miko of a temple."

            "She's a lot older than she looks," Shippou grinned absently when he saw them snap to attention in front of her like little soldiers before they both began to nod and formed their hands to mimic a gun.  "But she's never liked to be up where no one can reach her.  She likes to play with us, and I think it keeps her young."

            Yuusuke looked out over his shoulder and nearly fell over when he saw what his sons were doing, eyes wide and making a choked sound of alarm, _Ah, shit!  I forgot to tell them to tone it down for the miko!_

            But before he could do anything, Shippou suddenly pushed away from the window, twisting around to scowl over his shoulder back towards the front of the house when he felt the glimmer of an out-of-place youki slip around the edge of his own range.  The corner of his lip curled up in reflex, casting one more quick look at Kagome to take in her closed eyes and the taut line of her back that indicated she wasn't likely to be bothering with the intrusion.

            "I'm terribly sorry, Urameshi, but something has come up unexpectedly," Shippou slanted him a look, letting his eyes flash in warning to show he was everything Yuusuke suspected.  "When my sister is finished, tell her to go straight home.  She'll know why."

            Yuusuke opened his mouth, expression tense when Shippou stalked out of the kitchen rapidly, the sound of the door being slammed indicating just how quickly the kitsune had left.  Keiko turned to stare questioningly at him in the following silence, just starting to ask the question when he muttered out in a frustrated tone, "Hiei."


	18. Depth Perception in Minor Key

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -blushes and giggles richly-  Wow… you guys are so sweet that I can hardly believe it!  Granted this may just be me buttering up to escape being ravenously devoured by the end of the chapter. –rubs head and looks slightly nervous- I already planned ahead to escape from the wrath of Kazusa, but then again, I was going to cut this chapter off a few pages early.  Buuut… I decided not to.

To all of my reviewers, you're fabulous and beautiful and amazing and I adore you.  From FF.N and MM.O, you all make my day much more full of giggles and entertainment.  And I've had questions asking me if I minded having other people plug my story, and I don't see any reason to say I would.  If you really feel an urge to tell others about it, go nuts!  ^__^  LOL, after all, this is just for fun.

Ahhh!  Enough rambling!  I know you'd rather read, so have at it!

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Depth Perception in Minor Key~

            Hiei turned to stare dispassionately at the three kunai embedded in a vertical line in the tree beside his head, inwardly smirking as his eyes moved away from the dark weapons to the kitsune boy glaring up at him from him place on the ground, hand still poised from the warning throw, _Well _that_ got his attention_.

            "You're following me," Shippou accused him in a low voice, forcefully resisting the urge to look over his shoulder back towards the Urameshi house to be certain Kagome was out of sight.  This youkai wouldn't be able to feel her presence, but if he couldn't get him away before he caught a glimpse, there could be trouble, _At least it's only the one… I'm not sure I'd be able to distract him and a spirit kitsune as old as that other guy._

            Hiei's eyebrow kicked up slightly, more than irritated that the empty feeling was back around this youkai as well and unable to pinpoint just how someone this immature had mastered such a difficult technique, "_I'm_ following you?  Your kitsune brain is distorting the facts just like you creatures always do."

            Shippou's brows lowered, growling angrily at the insult, "Asshole!  You're the one putting your fucking nose where it doesn't belong, so don't try to pass this off on me."

            "Then why is it that you're the one hiding something?" Hiei accused in an even softer tone, crouching down on the branch as his eyes narrowed.  "And what are you doing this close to the Urameshi house when I'm willing to bet you know why I'm here, investigator."

            _You don't know the half of it, you obnoxious runt,_ Shippou's hands clenched, ducking down just slightly in preparation to run this youkai off.  "You have no idea what I know, but you're the one who's trespassing.  The only reason you're still alive is that we decided to let you stay that way for now."

            Hiei smirked at the way he felt the kitsune's youki spike, unable to prevent the rippling of his own muscles in answering challenge, the chance to have some real exercise in the Ningenkai without Koenma breathing down his neck about it, _What type is he, Kurama?  I want to know what I'm dealing with before I get into this, and I can't read into him any more than I can read into the girl._

            _Pisses you off, doesn't it? _Kurama snickered into the hybrid's mind, much more relaxed than he'd felt in what seemed like ages to finally have his chosen lover so very close at hand.  _I'd have to get a better look at him, but off just how he looks, I'd say he's a mountain or a forest.  Whatever he is, be careful.  His illusions are perfect and he's got a lot of control of his foxfire for a modern youkai, and that probably means he's older than he looks._

Hiei swore under his breath, watching as the boy's eyes began to glow bright sky blue, inhumanly bright as the color expanded to devour the pupil, _I hate kitsunes._

_            'Don't be so melodramatic, Hiei, you know you love us,'_ Youko's voice took on a particularly taunting quality, almost sing-song as he purposely grated along his nerves in his attempt to get the insolent kit's ass kicked for his earlier interference.  _'Who knows?  Maybe he'll agree to be your lover since we'll be busy with ours now.'_

            "Don't tune me out after you've gone to so much trouble to make yourself my opponent," Shippou's mouth twisted in distaste at the vague look that had entered the youkai's eyes, taking in the tightening around his lips and his ever darkening scowl.  Something about this short youkai was reminding him of Sesshoumaru, and it was putting him on edge at the thought of him getting any closer to Kagome, "You know the rules even if you're ignoring them.  I'm in my rights to kill you now that you're on our lands."

            "_Your_ lands?" Hiei couldn't keep the growl out of his voice, furiously snarling at Youko for his suggestion that he would ever consider such a thing while he kept his attention on this impatient kitsune.  "In case you missed your history, brat, you're the ones who are trespassing.  Youkai do not belong in Ningenkai."

            "We've been here longer than you've been alive," Shippou's lip curled up off his fangs, the deep-throated growl vibrating through his chest at the insinuating _he_ was the one out of place.  "But I suppose that answers that question… why you're hanging around someone with Rekai's pulse in every part of his body."

            _Ah, then they're aware of the barriers, but they figured out a way around them,_ Hiei felt a sense of satisfaction as he shared that information with Kurama.

            _He's suggesting they existed before the barrier?_ Kurama found himself frowning at the thought that they could possibly be old enough to even give him troubles, but shook it off as inconsequential to his current goal.  

            Youko still wasn't quite finished digging the other kitsune's grave, sending a distinct impression of a wicked grin to Hiei before he pressed in just a little deeper, '_You should ask him when he was born… if he's existed since before the barrier, that would make him older than you.  Although that would work, wouldn't it?  You have a thing for older kitsunes.'_

            _Didn't I beat your head in well enough yesterday, you fucking pervert?_ Hiei hissed back at him.

            '_That was Kurama,'_ Youko chirped back gleefully, absolutely delighted to be able to push so many of his buttons in such a short amount of time.

            Any response Hiei would have made was cut off when Shippou finally got tired of waiting for the other youkai to attack, leaping forward and swearing darkly when the hybrid proved fast enough to escape with only a glancing slice across his arm, _So that's why he reminds me of Big Dog, how irritating._

            Hiei turned cold eyes down where the kitsune had his hand up in front of his face, his blood smeared down the claws of his leading hand, "You're going to regret that, kitsune."

            _That's it… get angry, chase me,_ Shippou flashed him his most arrogant smirk and turned to race off in the opposite direction, away from Kagome and the Urameshi house once he was absolutely positive the shorter youkai was on his tail.  _I can keep you occupied long enough for Kagome to finish up and get the hell out of there before you can tell your friend where she's at._  

            _He cut me,_ Hiei informed Kurama in a particularly irritated growl, but he still couldn't fully hide that touch of excitement underneath his words.  That little upstart kitsune was fast enough to take him by surprise, and fast enough now to be forcing him to exert a bit of effort to keep up.  After the lazy times they'd been having lately, he was more than ready to take him on to give his friend the time to get this miko girl in a position to answer their questions.

            Kurama let out a heavy sigh, _Try not to kill him, Hiei.  She introduced him as her little brother, and that suggests she holds him in some affection._

_            That's not my problem,_ Hiei informed him loftily.  _If you wanted assurances of his health, you should be the one in my place while _I_ get the miko._

_            'Not a fucking chance,_' Youko scoffed at the very idea.  '_This is our lover, Hiei, and we're not going to let your brilliant skills of conversation and sparkling personality convince her to stay isolated in the house of this youkai lord rather than practically gift-wrapped on Yuusuke's lawn.'_

            Hiei rolled his eyes, studying the ease of movement in this kitsune as he bounded up over the roofs of the sparse houses and through trees, his youki twisting and fluctuating to blur himself against the threat of detection, _They worked just fine to get the kitsune away from her._

_            Think about what you just said,_ Kurama chuckled softly.  _You're much better at convincing someone to attack you than you are at getting them to open up and divulge interesting secrets._

_            You're paranoid about letting her spend time alone with another male,_ Hiei snorted in disgust.

            '_We'll think about it after she adores us,'_ Youko didn't even bother to deny the accusation, giving the impression of turning up his nose.

            _What makes you think this inu won't come looking for you the second he realizes his miko is being openly pursued by a kitsune? _Hiei inquired absently, making sure to gain just enough to make Shippou nervous and keep him from getting suspicious to their real intentions.

            '_He already knows, this brat's reaction to her being here says that,'_ Youko snickered in glee.  '_He was trying to drag her away, remember?  So!  One piece of the puzzle in place, that Takeharuka person has to be the youkai.  And this brat knows he fucked up letting her come where his boss has seen us.'_

_            Not our problem,_ Hiei let his lips curve upwards in a wicked smile.  _Besides, why wouldn't they know?  This miko knew Yuusuke and Keiko's names, so why wouldn't he have known where they were coming and put a stop to it?_

_            She must not have told him, _Kurama made a faint sound of contemplation at why she would have done something like that.  _I wonder why…?_

_            'Stop getting distracted,' _Youko interrupted in frustration.  '_We have much more important questions to ask our lover, Kurama, with_out_ reminding her of the youkai that are already trying to take places in her life.  We don't want her thinking of others until we have our answers.'_

_            I'll leave you two alone, since you're obviously thinking of such 'important things,'_ Hiei made sure to put enough sarcasm into his emphasis that Kurama couldn't mistake his remark for anything other than the taunt he intended it to be.  _Besides… I have a kitsune to beat into the ground._

_            'No killing,' _Youko reiterated sharply to reinforce Kurama's earlier instruction.  '_We may still need him, and we can't alienate our lover by unnecessarily hurting someone she claims as family.  That's just poor taste.'_

_            All right, Fox, I'll _try_ not to kill him, happy? _Hiei reluctantly promised after he felt the "lean" Youko _and_ Kurama were putting behind their words, silently agreeing that the miko was less likely to answer their questions if the kitsune disappeared.

            _Good,_ Kurama nodded in satisfaction, eyes flashing as he looked down through the leaves and branches into Yuusuke's yard, and softening when they studied the miko interacting with the boys.  _Keep him busy, Hiei._

_            Don't screw this up, Kurama,_ Hiei shot back, tensing when he noticed they'd veered off the populated stretch of road and were moving through the woods towards the mountain.  _You aren't the only one with questions._

_            'We're just the ones with the important ones,' _Youko smirked and took over long enough to completely tune out the hybrid, much more interested in the girl who'd just gotten herself tackled again.  '_The ones that will involve what she's going to be to us.'_

            Hiei blew out a particularly frustrated sigh when his friend's thoughts clicked out of his mind to leave him completely focused on his chase through the trees, watching the way the stiff line of his back relaxed the farther they moved away from human auras.  A slow smirk made its way across his face, increasing his speed as his hand curved over the hilt of his katana, _If nothing else, this should be good exercise._

~*~*~*~

            The moment Kagome's foot touched the grass of the Urameshis' backyard she felt a pulse of youki rush through her body so strongly it nearly buckled her knees.  Her chest expanded on the gasp of surprise, eyes opening wide and glazing before they flashed just enough that Ryou turned to look up at her with a confused frown, "Oi, you okay?  Your eyes did something funny for a second."

            "Are you sick?" Toushi added, head cocking to one side when a ripple seemed to go through the grass around her feet, blinking in surprise and bending down to pat at it curiously.  "Whoa, Ryou, check this out!  The ground's being all weird for the fake miko."

            Kagome's brow drew together slightly as she tried to pinpoint what about the sensation was so strange, inhaling deeply to take in the feel and taste of the air the way Inuyasha had taught her so long ago-  That thought suddenly brought everything into focus with crystal clarity, shoulders going lax and expression completely wiped into utter amazement at how such a simple answer had eluded her, "It's… clean?"

            "Clean?" Ryou and Toushi repeated and looked up at her in concern.

            She slowly crouched down, kneeling in the grass and splaying her fingers wide to rest in the grass and feel it against bare skin instead of dampened by her socks, _It's… how is this possible?  How is this one house surrounded by this kind of energy when humans have been here for generations?  This feels like… like the grass in Sengoku Jidai!_

            "It's just grass," Ryou set his hands on his hips and leaned over to peer at her face, grinning triumphantly when she blinked and obviously refocused on his face.  "But can ya tell Kaa-san _our_ grass is 'clean?'  She makes us get in the tub whenever we've been out here in it."

            Kagome could feel herself blushing even as she started to laugh when the words actually connected with her scattered thought processes.  It was an effort to restrain the urge to search out the source of what had done that to the ground and the grass, the silky smooth warmth that wound itself up into her soul so familiarly…  She shook herself mentally before her mind could wander again, reaching out to ruffle his hair and stick out her tongue when he batted at her, "There's different kinds of clean, Ryou-chan, but nice try."

            He shrugged, the smile taking on more of a mischievous twist as he shared a look with his little brother, "Yeah well, can't say I ain't the creative type, right?  Besides, you're easier to get at in this position."

            "Easier to-?  _Oophf!_" Kagome rocked back from the weight that had just come crashing against her chest, narrowing her focus in a rush as her muscles snapped taut to hold her upright.

            Kagome's mind flashed backwards before she could stop it, moving on a habit deeply ingrained and long denied as she pretended to lean back under that playful assault.  She'd done this before, a million times with her own children while Miroku and Sango watched over them, calling out "suggestions" to the boys over the best way to take down a miko until they'd all ended up in a gasping pile in the grass listening to their father's laughter and praise.

She was barely aware of what she was doing, laughing openly as she let out a mock gasp and accused them, "Ah!  Dirty fighting!" 

            That was all it took for Toushi to let out a squeal and tackle her other side, hooking his arms around her own and trying to go limp to drag her down, but giggling too much to be effective, "Banzai!"

            "Ha!  She's stronger than she looks!" Ryou clambered around to her back, hanging off her neck and trying to wrap his legs around her ribs as far as they could go to squeeze her that way.  "Get her hands, Toushi!" he called out to his brother, absolutely delighted that this 'examination' was with a girl who just wanted to play in the grass with them.

            Kagome let out a squeak and toppled over onto her open side, careful not to squish or twist any of the limbs now rather effectively tangled with her own, too distracted by her own thoughts and the strange feel of the ground beneath her to notice the green-gold eyes staring down at her with unblinking intensity from the tree line.

            _'She'll be perfect,'_ Youko purred in smug satisfaction, absently making the grass around her softer, thicker to cushion against the rolling and dropping as she let Yuusuke's sons throw their weight into her rather petite frame.  _'Matter of fact, she'll be easier to train than you.  She already likes to "roll around" outside in plants, and did you see her face?  She could feel us in the grass, what we did to it to clean out all that human filth.'_

_            Why though? _Kurama lifted his hand to absently rest on one of the concealing branches beside his head, finally admitting to Youko that feeling the energy pour through him from the natural vegetation was absolutely invigorating.  _She can't possibly be old enough to know what it felt like before there were humans everywhere._

_            'Hell if I know,'_ Youko mentally shrugged, the sense of predatory anticipation in him bubbling over to Kurama to heighten his reflexes and narrow his focus down to their target.  '_That's sexy… those hands being so easy and silly with the human boys.  You're in luck, Kurama, I picked a playful one with a nurturing side.  She might be our most fun lover yet.'_

_            You're just saying that because it's never taken this long to track one down, _Kurama smiled indulgently, crouching down on the branch as his eyes were drawn right where Youko had seen fit to point out.  But he was right… there was something that warmed inside him to watch the controlled motion of her hands and her body, like watching a dancer who knew the exact extent of their strengths and weaknesses.  He shook his head when he realized he'd been zoning out while Youko tried to unobtrusively nudge him back and take over, _Nice try, Youko, but no._

_            'But she _likes_ kitsune,' _he pouted.  _'If she can stand that little bastard punk, then she'll adore me!'_

_            Us_.

            '_Same thing,' _Youko snorted and rolled his eyes, but obediently backed down to stare at her again, murmuring a few choice words to himself when he saw first hand what Keiko had meant about her eyes practically glowing.  _'I've stolen jewelry that didn't shine this much…'_

_            That is the single cheesiest thing I've ever heard coming out of your mouth,_ Kurama had to bite back a laugh at the distracted remark.

            '_What?  It's true,'_ he protested at being accused of such a thing.  _'Really look at her, Kurama, at the way the light hits her.  The littler boy was right about her skin.'_

_            His name's Toushi, not "littler boy," Youko, you know that, _Kurama scolded.  _Or are you still annoyed that Hiei won't stop reminding you Yuusuke succeeded before we did?_

_            'Our sons will be more attractive and refined,' _Youko promised rather than actually addressing that charge.  _'And our lover will not be so hung-up on silly human tradition.'_

            _You're making a lot of assumptions for a human girl, Youko, calm down,_ Kurama frowned slightly when he noticed the obsession seemed to be settling deeper in his more obviously kitsune side.  _Weren't you the one who said we'd convince her to breed, give us the baby, and go our separate ways?_

_            'If there are powerful youkai willing to try and steal her out from under us, I am less inclined to allow her to leave so quickly,' _Youko's voice took on a serious edge that had Kurama's brow kicking up.  '_Now I want her to defy them for us, and give us the adoration I can see in her eyes for them.  That's what I'm going to steal and keep in my personal collection.  This human's heart and soul.'_

_            You're taking this a lot more seriously than you were before_.

_            'Before she had not been stolen from us_.'

In the silence following that grave declaration, Kurama turned their eyes back down to watch over their unsuspecting target, lingering on her hands and the uncommon color of her eyes that he could see shining from even this distance.  When her lips spread in a dazzling smile for the boys yet again, he was unable to stop himself from reaching out and taking their manipulation with the grass one step further.  Whatever it was motivating his reaction, he reached out with his energy to encourage the grass to mimic the movement of his fingers in a subtle caress up the leg pressed to the ground and all the way over her side to trail whisper soft across her palm.  

_She's sensitive, _his eyes filled with satisfaction when she paused and looked at the ground again, Ryou and Toushi perched on top of her other side and making their victory sounds when she stopped the token struggles in favor of pulling up the offending hand to stare at it suspiciously.

            Her brows had drawn together slightly again in concentration, reaching down to skim her hand through the grass as the boys finally let go and stood in front of her with smug grins that had her helplessly chuckling, "All right, all right, you win.  But-!" she held up a finger to stop them when they squealed and started to rush her again, deciding to ignore the odd issues with the ground for the moment to get herself back on track.

            "But?" Ryou's brows lifted in surprise, tilting his head when he noticed her eyes were almost doing that weird thing again.

            "New game," Kagome pushed herself back to a casual seated position, drawing one knee into her chest and propping her arm across it.  One corner of her lips kicked up when they groaned, making a tsking sound and leaning back, "Don't you even want to hear it?"

            "It's going to be a grown-up thing, isn't it?" Toushi deflated slightly, scuffing his foot on the ground with obvious reluctance to end their fun.

            "Maybe," Kagome pretended to look thoughtful for a moment, tapping a finger to her lip while her silent watcher followed the move intensely.  "But then… what if I told you… that your mother wanted me to find out if either of you has magic in you?"

            Ryou and Toushi shared a look again before giving her skeptical frowns and repeating, "Magic?"

            "Don't believe in it?" she challenged, shrugging before she folded her arms behind her head and closed her eyes with a sigh.  "Ah well, and here I thought you could see things too-"

            "We can so see weird things!" Ryou protested, scowling as he took a step closer and eyed her with as much seriousness as his mind could produce.  "You mean… you know about that stuff?"

            Kagome peeked one eye open to regard the uncertain expression on his face, "I'm from a shrine family, you know.  A very old and respectable one."

            "But they ain't seeing the real ones," Ryou protested.  "We met a monk once, but he was a prick, kept telling us we had over-active imaginations."

            "Too caught up in fantasy?  Youkai and all that?" Kagome chuckled when she thought of how her grandfather would have reacted to their "imagination" if they'd met with him.  _He probably would have cried to have someone listen to his stories._

            Ryou relaxed suddenly and grinned, nodding vigorously, "Yeah!  Damn, you're the best fake miko lady ever!  How do you know about all that?  Do you work with Tou-san?"

            _Work with-? _Kagome almost frowned, but stopped herself before she made that telling action and instead picked a vague enough answer, "People ask mikos to exorcise evil youkai, even fake ones."

            "Cool, so you _are _like Tou-san!" his eyes flashed with pride as he and Toushi suddenly formed their hands as though about to break into a play gun-battle, raising her brows at the ki gathering slightly at their fingertips.  "What's your special attack?"

            Kagome blinked and laughed, wondering what they would say if she actually told the truth but instead waving her hands to dispel any notions of extra skills, "I'm a background person in a real fight, an archer.  My… family doesn't like it when I get too close to being in danger."

            Kurama nearly fell out of the tree when he looked down and saw what the boys were doing, but before he could react, the other kitsune went streaking out the front door and snapped the miko's head around to follow his retreat.  That alone brought a smile to his lips that slowly grew into something that would have probably sent chills down any of his companions spines if they had a chance to see it, _Took you long enough, Hiei._

_            Kiss my ass, Fox, I didn't want him to have the chance to get her out,_ the remark came back with a wealth of irritation.

            _I said get his attention and distract him, not draw him out for a battle in the middle of the day,_ Kurama sighed and rubbed his aching head, silently promising that if the hybrid messed this up that he would just simply have to kill him this time.

            In the yard, Kagome rose to her feet, stepping in between the boys and the street as she sent a wave of her own aura out to search for what had taken Shippou's attention so completely that he would up and vanish after all that lecturing about the danger in the Urameshi house.  She held out an arm almost distractedly when Ryou and Toushi decided to climb her, standing motionless against the added weight until the echo of youki snapped back at her and widened her eyes, _That mixed youkai!  Why that little-!  _That's _why he didn't want me here!_

Ryou was swinging lazily on her arm, amazed at how strong this girl was considering she was little, but then again… Hiei-nii-san had taught him that sometimes size didn't mean shit, "Are you old?"

            Kagome turned to look down at him, a little surprised at his position but covering it up with a smile as she pulled her energy back and through both boys before it completely reabsorbed and left her with the information she'd promised to get, "It depends on who you ask."

            "That's a weird answer," he made a face and tried to drag her back down to play some more.  She was a girl and she was pretty small, but she knew about youkai and she wasn't treating them like babies.  A shrewd look entered his eyes as he regarded her, wondering if he and Toushi could figure out a way to convince their parents to get her back when they went out instead of the irritating girl who watched them now.  _That_ girl would whine if they ran into her too hard and this Kagome miko was willing to wrestle in the grass just as rough as their dad, not to mention she wouldn't think it was stupid if they tried to tell her stories about youkai.

            "I'm probably younger than your mother," Kagome thought about it for a moment and shrugged, letting them haul her back down to sit while Toushi took up the position on her back and Ryou sprawled out over her lap, still lost in his plotting.  "I don't remember any Urameshi names going to school, but then again, I was in another district-"

            "I have no idea what you're talking about," Ryou cut her off with a snort, folding his arms behind his head and squirming to get comfortable.  "But your voice is nice, and I'm kinda tired all of a sudden, so I guess you can keep talking."

            She blinked at the imperious tone and shook her head, lifting an arm when Toushi slid around to take up the rest of the space on her lap with a yawn, "You _guess_ I can keep talking?"

            "Yep," he waved a hand distractedly, closing his eyes and relaxing while Toushi's breathing evened out.

            _Hopefully I haven't freaked out Yuusuke and Keiko by practically knocking out their kids,_ Kagome winced, annoyed with herself for not dampening her sweep enough to leave their energy completely intact, but also more than a little impressed at their resilience for lasting that long against a search she generally reserved for adults.  "Wouldn't you rather go inside if you're tired enough to sleep?" she tilted her head, sliding her fingers through Ryou's hair, winding her other arm around Toushi to lift him up into a better position.

            "Smells better outside," he yawned widely, voice already going vague to signal his waning consciousness.  "And you're comfortable."

            "Is that so?" Kagome's smile softened, voice lowered to a soft murmur as she had a flash of memory almost painfully snap through her head, superimposing another time and place over her senses.  Miroku's voice echoed in her mind, drowning out the sounds around her as the words ran together into an indecipherable jumble until a hand came down lightly on her shoulder and banished the daze in a rush that left her hollow and disjointed.

            Kagome's own hand had snapped up, wrapping around the wrist and twisting to put the person in an awkward hold on reflex alone until the disorientation cleared from her mind and she found herself blinking up at a rather surprised Yuusuke, "Oi… you okay?"

            She dropped his hand in a hurry, raking it through her hair in a nervous gesture as she looked down at his boys blatantly snoring in her lap, "I-I… I'm sorry.  I guess I didn't get as much sleep last night as I thought."

            "No problem," he touched his wrist curiously, impressed at her reaction while he flexed his fingers to dispel the strange numbness that had flushed the appendage under her hold.  He hid his concern at the weakness under a smile and a nod down at the pair, "That's about a goddamn miracle, I should tell you.  Sleeping in the middle of the day on top of a total stranger?"

            "Maybe they didn't get enough either then," Kagome smiled indulgently, leaning back when Yuusuke bent down and scooped up first one then the other without the slightest hint of effort.

            "You kidding?" he snorted and shook his head as she rubbed her hands up her thighs to get the blood flowing freely again.  "These two could run for at least a week on nothing but fumes, Higurashi.  This must be something about you."

            "Kagome, please," she tucked her knees up to her chest and loosely wound her arms around them.  "When you call me Higurashi, all I can think of is this guy who used to bring me the most ridiculous gifts because my grandfather is… creative with excuses."

            "Bad liar?"

            "Incomparably so."

            Yuusuke chuckled and shook his head, "All right then, Kagome it is.  I ain't much on formalities anyhow.  Waste of time."

            "Sometimes," she nodded her agreement before slanting a calm look up at him.  "But then, human formalities have always been more about empty politics, haven't they?  Not nearly as efficient as… other societies."

            Yuusuke's eyes briefly went to the trees before he looked back at her face and frowned, "So you _are _more of a miko than you said you were."

            "I'm not going to purify you if that's what has you worried," Kagome let out a deep sigh and looked up at the cloudless sky.  "Just because I know about more than some people, it doesn't make me a good miko, Urameshi-san.  It just means that I had my eyes opened to more than most people ever see and I decided not to close them again."

            "How?" he couldn't resist asking, even feeling the weight of Kurama's glare resting on him and the ground trying to tilt him towards the house in an obvious "suggestion" to make himself scarce.

            "A long time ago," she waved that off casually.  "A hanyou saved my life when I was a silly little girl, and it pretty much went downhill from there."

            Yuusuke's brows rose at the tender smile on her face as she straightened her spine with a faint pop but didn't offer any further insight to her knowledge of youkai or her lack of fear, "So then… what _are _you intending now that you're here?"

            "Just what I said," Kagome blinked and stretched her arms out behind her to brace her weight up.  "They both have a lot of potential, very defined auras for their age, but with how bright they are, I'm sure you had some idea of it already.  Still if they aren't properly taught to control themselves and their abilities, you could end up with more than one less than pleasant phone call."

            He wasn't quite sure what to say, staring down at her profile and trying to convince himself to put her face with the personality he'd imagined mikos to have from the moment he'd first read about them and failing miserably.  They weren't supposed to sit as calmly as if they were discussing the weather and warn a guy that his kids would get into trouble with their youkai blood unless they had training.  She just… Yuusuke cut his mental rambling off, shaking his head while he couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly at his own stupidity, _I had an easier time thinking of Hiei as a friend than I'm having thinking of her as a miko.  What the fuck is wrong with me?_

"Try to keep them out of the doctor's office until you find the right one, hn?" Kagome continued on, if not totally oblivious to his distress, choosing to ignore it and let him handle his thoughts on his own.  "I'm not a pathologist or anything, but I'm willing to bet there are enough abnormalities to raise questions, and they don't need that kind of poking and prodding any more than you do."

            Yuusuke could actually feel his cheeks heat at the censure in her tone, shifting his weight and muttering by way of explanation, "Keiko worries."

            She tilted her head back, focusing on him with a slight smile, "That's just a mother thing, but remind her that their blood won't react the same way to chemicals that a human will.  Little things and medicine are okay, but don't give them anything more serious without seeing someone who knows what they're dealing with."

            "You're talking like you've had experience," he lifted Toushi up on his shoulder without ever taking his eyes off her.

            "Maybe I've just heard the lecture enough to repeat it on command," she winked at him with a cheeky grin and he couldn't help but laugh.  _That's a better explanation than the truth until I know what in the world I'm dealing with here._

            "Shit, Kagome, you're a strange person," Yuusuke drawled out as he blew out a sigh and relaxed, giving up on trying to find something threatening in the faint aura he could finally feel when he was standing this close to her.  She might not have enough power to set off his senses, but she was smart, and anyone who could survive his sons had to have something more than ordinary, "Let me put the kids down and I'll take you to lunch."

            Kagome blinked at the unexpected offer, lifting a surprised look up at him, "Lunch?"

            "It's the least I can do for making my morning this easy," he nodded and turned back to the house.  "And don't worry about your little brother, he already said he'd just meet up with you later.  He had an errand or something that he'd forgotten."

            _That doesn't sound like Shippou,_ she frowned slightly, but then again… he hadn't been honest with her about why he didn't want her to be here, or that they already knew about those two youkai.  _I know he left to do something with that other youkai, the fast one…  Damn, why didn't he tell me how he knows them?_

            She heard the door to the house close and blew out a heavy breath, folding her arms behind her head and dropping back onto her back in the grass to think on just what the hell was going on around here, and what it had to do with Sesshoumaru, _And why don't they want me anywhere near them?  They didn't feel dangerous or crazed when I read into them before, just…_ she broke off with a shiver at the memory of just what she had felt when that beautiful kitsune had touched her, scolding herself for letting her thoughts get distracted so quickly when she had serious things to mull over.

            _But…I should be thinking of that too, shouldn't I?  I have to know why that made me feel so- _she trailed off and let her eyes slip closed, chewing on her lip as her soul took great pleasure in replaying the memory for her.  Particularly the look in his eyes as they locked onto her own.  _Oh gods, I spent way too many years married to a hardcore pervert, _she swallowed hard when her imagination readily supplied her with a much different picture, one without so many spectators and even less clothing… 

Kagome made a face, grinding the heels of her hands against her eyes to try and stave off the little Miroku-side that was apparently alive and well inside her, shifting against the grass to soak up the warmth of ki winding around her sinuously the longer she stayed in that position.

_And that's _really_ not helping,_ she almost groaned, letting her body go completely lax and trying to push down the enthusiastic energy before she embarrassed herself by letting herself have a fantasy about a kitsune she didn't even know.  _Why did Miroku have to be right about this part?_

            Kagome was so focused on getting her wayward imagination under control that she barely realized she was no longer alone, at least until the shadow fell across her face to obstruct the warmth of sunlight.  _Figures,_ she felt a rush of self-disgust, raking her hands through her bangs as he crouched down beside her, _I can focus on everything in a ten mile radius if it involves death and destruction, but I start having one little fantasy and my concentration goes all to hell._

When he continued to rest beside her silently, she wondered if he might have thought she'd fallen asleep and decided to reassure him it was all right to speak more, "You're lucky to have a house with this kind of yard, Urameshi-san, but how you got it to feel so amazing is beyond me."  
            "There's a certain… _trick_ to it, Kagome, but it's good to know my efforts are so deeply appreciated."

            Kagome went perfectly still with a sinking sense of foreboding when that velvet-smooth voice wrapped around her senses, caressing her from the inside out as she recognized just who that voice belonged to, _Well, fuck in a bucket._

Kurama could feel his lips curving up in a lazy smile as he stared down at her, listening to the way her heartbeat skipped and picked up just enough to verify she remembered his voice in a very nice way, "You have to know just how to touch it if you want the right response."

            "If you stand up now and walk back to wherever you were before, I don't think either of us will get into too much trouble," Kagome informed him with a hopeful note in her voice without opening her eyes.  Half afraid of what she would do if she found herself looking at him in such a private situation, especially if he left that hair free-flowing, she tried instead to focus on just how angry a certain taiyoukai was going to be, _Sesshoumaru is going to be absolutely pissed._

            '_Not a chance in all the layers of hell,'_ Youko scoffed at the very idea, reaching out and running the tip of his finger slowly along her exposed forearm where her sleeve had pushed up.

            Kagome drew in a gasp and abruptly twisted away from him, rolling up onto her knees just out of his reach and frowning when she saw the smirk on his face, "You did that on purpose."

            _She's a quick little thing, isn't she?_ Kurama tried to affect an innocent expression but gave up at the look she sent him and chuckled as he shrugged instead.  "I couldn't think of a better way to get your attention, and I would prefer it if my girlfriend looked at me when I was trying to have a conversation."

            _Girlfriend? Oh hell, not again,_ she leaned back when he reached up towards her face and shook her head in a rush.  "Ah, I-I'm… I'm not available."

            _'Not anymore anyway,_' Youko smirked when his search of her exposed skin suggested there had been no family markings to show ownership.

            "Then we _do_ understand each other," he caught both her hands in his before she could back herself up any farther, pulling gently to stop her panicked retreat and to get her to really look at him.  _Don't get carried away, Youko, we're being charming and irresistible, remember?_

_            'Are you forgetting who you're talking to?'_

            Kagome blinked, muscles relaxing again when she met those amused emerald eyes staring so very intensely into her, that same heavy tingle spreading down her arms where their hands connected, "I have to go-"  _This is bad… I don't even know who this person is._

            _'She doesn't want to,'_ Youko whispered to Kurama, encouraging him to tighten his hold and draw her even closer.  _'Look in her eyes, you can see that we got to her the last time.  Push her a little, be sexy and she won't tell us no.'_

            _I _am_ capable of speaking to her, Youko, and I'm not blind, you know,_ Kurama felt like throttling his other half for a moment, but pushed it aside when he felt her trying to stand up and ultimately escape.  "You can't run away, Kagome.  You haven't given me an answer yet," he reminded her, rolling to his feet gracefully and using his hold on her hands to help her up as well.

            Kagome's mouth closed on whatever she'd been about to say, brows furrowed and head cocking to one side as she stared up at him and repeated in a perplexed tone, "An answer?"

            Youko let out a choked sound of disbelief, '_She _forgot?!'

            "You forgot?" Kurama couldn't help but repeat in amazement, trying to push down the way his pride tweaked at the thought of her passing him off as just another face in the crowd.

            '_Oh _fuck_ that_.'        

_Wait, not yet-!_

Kagome watched something deep and dangerous flash through those vivid eyes, but rather than stirring her defensive reflexes, she found her jaw going slack just enough for her lips to part and a pulse of heat stealing what was left of her strength when she felt his hands move.  She might have made a sound, she wasn't exactly sure, but with his fingers shoving into her hair and snapping the tie as though it never existed to bring her own hair spilling down heavily around her shoulders, her thoughts had pretty well scattered to the four winds.

All except one last overwhelming feeling that if she didn't get away from this youkai right at this second something essential to her soul was going to shift and change…

            She pressed her palm to his chest, eyes wide and body tensed to flee as she summoned up enough energy to jolt him back without really hurting him.  But just as she spread her fingers to release it, his eyes flashed golden and startled her enough that her arm simply folded between them when he stepped forward and lifted her face.

            "Maybe you'll remember this," Youko purred out just before he closed his mouth hard over her own.


	19. The Sweet Taste of Failure

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Mooou…. I am in so much trouble for leaving that there, with Kazusa and apparently with a few other people too.  –rubs head and looks slightly put out-  It's bad enough she chases me down at home and sits on me until I start writing, now she's gathering minions and scolding me.  LOL, uber crazy.

Now, I've never really specifically singled out reviewers, but I recently got this massive incredible one from GeshronTyler that had me giggling like crazy.  Granted, I'm not going to give away the plot before it gets there, but those are quite… well thought out musings as to some possible happenings.  And yes, being up-to-date in the manga will help connect a few of the dots.  All those questions will be answered in time though, so be patient… and as for the eyes, originally in the manga Kagome's eyes change between grey and blue but like all manga, everyone's eyes are unique and it never really gets mentioned much.  They changed it for the anime for who knows what reasons, buuuut… -shrugs-  it's kinda like how Inuyasha started off with that pale pink kimono and transitioned to his lovely red without any apparent notice from his surrounding companions.  Just one of those things. ^___~

And I can't possibly neglect the rest of my reviewers, even if I can't go through you each by name without taking up WAAAAAAY too much space considering all of you from MM.O and FF.N.  I adore you all, and you make writing this that much more fun. –bows and blows kisses-  You're all beyond fabulous, and I hope that you enjoy the way the rest of the story pans out.

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~The Sweet Taste of Failure~

            Kurama belatedly realized he should have seen it coming the moment she stopped pulling away and turned those wide eyes up on him with that particular expression.  Whether she really _had_ forgotten in the admitted confusion surrounding their first meeting, or was just too flustered to remember what answer he was looking for with the way he'd just taken her by surprise: that look made her seem young, vulnerable, and impossibly cute.  

Three things guaranteed to set off the much less inhibited and temperamental side of him in a big, bad way.

Especially after she had voiced what Youko perceived to be the ultimate insult, the very suggestion that Kagome hadn't been thinking only of him and their proposition since the moment it had happened.  His own rails and complaints about how idiotic Kurama had been to voice it that way aside.  

Kurama was trying to calm himself before they did something stupid when he'd felt Youko's growl and the sudden flush of emotions as they raced through their body.  And with his focus so centered widely on that, Youko had smoothly exerted his own control selectively to reach out for her and do his own handling of the situation.  But even realizing he'd been tricked, Kurama hadn't expected to find his hands in her hair and yanking her forward into the most scalding kiss either side could treat her to.

_YOUKO!_ Kurama hissed out, absolutely stunned that the kitsune had been so impulsive, but still… 

'_That's ever so much better,_' Youko ignored him and drawled out, some of the tension easing out of their body when Kagome melted against him.  He felt her eyelashes fluttering closed while she made a faint sound that was far from protesting as his tongue slipped into her mouth with the same demanding search for a response.  One hand followed the curve of her back down to wrap around her waist and flatten her up against their chest, the other fisting in her hair to tilt her head at a better angle, '_Forgot, my ass.  I'll make sure she doesn't try to _forget_ anything I do to her again.'_

Kurama started to chastise… well, himself for practically attacking the girl and running the risk of completely destroying any chance they had with her, but just as the thought started to form, the hand resting on his chest flexed and slipped up into his hair.  Her fingers splayed and giving off the impression that she was testing it out, curious about the texture, and the feelings stirring in him from the reciprocated caress made all thoughts of lecturing vanish, _Oh_.

'_That's the best you can say?' _Youko taunted, sliding his palm up under the hem of her shirt to feel her skin, maneuvering his hand around to curve over her hip and use that hold to lift her up onto her toes.  '_Damn, she tastes as good as she feels.'_

_But we're not the first person she's kissed,_ Kurama observed absently, for once their movements perfectly synchronized as they forgot all about everything else but making the most of this spontaneous, and surprisingly well-received kiss.  In the back of his mind, he suspected it was more from shock than anything, but with Youko expertly drawing her in deeper, she had begun to actively respond.

_'So?  That's a good thing,'_ Youko sounded much too cheerful as he lifted her completely off her feet and walked her backwards the short distance to push her up against the exterior of Yuusuke's house for better leverage.  '_Can't you feel it?  Her body has been neglected; it's hungry…  It wants to be touched by us but she's still fighting it, pretending it's not.'_

Kagome jolted back to herself somewhat when she felt the wall at her back, sucking in a sharp gasp as she tried to drag herself up through the layers of lust-induced fog whispering to her to just let herself sink into this pretty kitsune's arms and to hell with the consequences, _Control, Kagome!  Get yourself under control and- gods, why does he have to be such a goddamn great kisser?_

Kurama had no idea when or how so much of his suppressed instincts had seeped back into _his_ mind rather than whispered to him through Youko, but he couldn't deny the thrill of predatory satisfaction that went through him when he felt her trying to pull away and lean into him at the same time, _She's stubborn… strong-willed._

_'She's trying to fight off kitsune seduction and doing a fairly good job of it, Kurama, that's a little more than strong-willed,'_ Youko smirked and dragged their hand up to her ribcage, curiously tracing over the shallow lines of definition through her musculature proving this miko's lifestyle was far from sedentary.  _'She shouldn't be able to think right now, but if she was taken, she wouldn't have let us kiss her in the first place.'_

_We're sure about that?_ he wanted that clarified before he let Youko take their hand anywhere else, even if the feeling of her skin against his hand was sending little currents of sensation along his starved senses.

'_Does it matter?'_ Youko traced along the bottom edge of her bra, flattening his hand once he reached her back to arch it and make it easier to reach the flimsy clasps.

_It should_.

'_It doesn't,' _Youko retorted, momentarily distracted when his hand skimmed over abnormalities with the silky skin, precise abnormalities…

Kagome's back arched sharply when Kurama's hand pressed down firmly, his thumb rubbing upwards curiously to trace over the faintly raised lines on her back, crying out at the jolt it sent straight into her soul, _Not yet, I can't-!_

She yanked her mouth away from his with effort, panting and gasping as she managed to work her hands onto his shoulders and shove him back to arm's length.  Her chest heaved, eyes wide and a little panicked as she looked at the shock on that handsome face and those eyes swirling hypnotically between green and gold.

'_Now that's a first,_' Youko frowned slightly, curling his hands to pull her back to him again and pick up where they'd left off.

Kagome abruptly dropped, reaching up to grab his forearm with both hands, flipping him over her head and flat onto his back.

_So is that,_ Kurama blinked widely, his mind trying to reorient itself from the singular experience of having the most passionate kiss of his recent lifetimes to staring up at wide blue eyes that looked just as surprised to find him in that position as he was to be there.

"Oh gods!" Kagome dropped his arm as though he'd burned her and shook her head, lifting a hand to rake nervously through her hair and shove it back over her shoulders.  "I'm sorry!  Wow… I… I'm so sorry.  Habit, you know."

Kurama slowly pushed himself up, unable to fully restrain a chuckle at the absolutely lovely blush spreading across her cheeks, "Habit?  You intend to try and throw me every time I kiss you?"

_'Next time we're holding on and taking her down to be on the bottom,_ _that'll teach her to break _that_ habit,'_ Youko smirked widely in anticipation, salving his wounded pride at getting tossed by soaking up how absolutely flustered the little miko appeared.

Her cheeks turned an even darker shade of pink and she looked up at him with her hands still wrist deep in her own hair, mouth opening and closing for a moment until she cleared her throat and managed a choked, "What?"

"You don't honestly think that's the only time it's going to happen, do you?" he teased her as he rolled up to his feet, brushing himself off and giving her a smile full of promise.

'_There's hope for you yet_.'

"You _do_ realize that I don't even know what your name is, right?" Kagome interrupted their silent remarks to point out, swallowing hard as she fought to get herself under control after that overload of youki and long-ignored emotions still roiling just below the surface of her relaxed expression.  _Bad to worse… shit, shit, shit!  He's like a more aggressive, really, _really_ sexy Kouga-kun…_

"Kurama," he reached up and took hold of her wrists gently but firmly, his movements slow and careful as though tending to a wild thing that would bolt at the first opportunity.  Not allowing her to pull away as he eased her hands out of her hair, he released one of them to smooth the disrupted length on his own, curling his fingers to make the sensation imprint on his palm.  Youko cleared his throat suggestively, bringing a smile to his face as he acquiesced to the not so subtle demand and amended, "Youko Kurama."

_He's telling me his youkai name,_ Kagome blinked in confusion, relaxing when he didn't do anything but stroke her hair back into place, eyes lingering across her face in a way that had her pushing down a rise of warmth in her stomach.  "How do you know my name?" she demanded, trying to cover the errant feelings before he picked up on them and tried to instigate another kiss.  _Is he from Sengoku Jidai?  I think I would have remembered him…_

"I heard it," his chin kicked up just enough that it made him seem more boyish, preening at being able to show her how resourceful he was so early in the game.

"From who?" Kagome frowned in suspicion before she remembered where she was, and had to fight the urge to smack herself in the head.  "I can be so stupid sometimes," she muttered under her breath before looking up at him again and raising her voice.  "You're friends with Urameshi-san."

"With Yuusuke, yes," Kurama dipped his head in acknowledgement stroking his thumb over the underside of the wrist still in his hand, fighting down a chuckle when she snatched her hand back and held it cradled to her chest while glaring at him.

"Stop that!" Kagome cleared her throat, tucking her hair back behind her ear in a nervous gesture.

'_She's cute when she's in denial,' _Youko exerted himself just enough to run the tip of their tongue languidly over their bottom lip to taste the lingering flavor of his stolen kiss.  '_Grab her again.'_

_Easy, Youko_, Kurama soothed him as best as he could when his own baser desires were in perfect agreement.  _We got in a damn good kiss, so let her think she's safe again before we surprise her._

_'Oooh, sneaky,'_ Youko turned the idea over in his head, smirking and backing down when he saw her eyes trace the path his tongue was taking with her eyes slightly glazed.  '_I like it_.'

"I've never seen anyone but their parents handle Yuusuke's boys as well as you did," he offered gently to bring her out of whatever thoughts turned her gaze so introspective. 

Kagome shook herself out of the less that innocent things running through her head, unable to look at those knowing green eyes as she answered the unspoken question in a roundabout way, "They're good kids, they just need more attention and less babying."  _And they're nothing compared to Shippou's hyper years,_ she added silently, hiding a smile behind her hand at the memories of those exhausting times.

Kurama's lips curved up, cocking his head as he let his eyes slide over more leisurely now, confident that he was finally getting a handle on the situation, "I think they take too much after their father to be called 'good' kids, but they have their own charm, don't they?"

"You're fishing for something, Kurama-kun," her eyes narrowed just enough to be noticeable, reaching behind her to lightly touch the stabilizing presence of the house when he shifted his weight in a way that was all too familiar.

"You don't have to be so formal," Youko gave her a playful wink just to see her blush again before Kurama shoved him back down. 

_This is my turn, Youko, and what the hell do you mean 'formal?' _he demanded in confusion.

'_Suffixes… I don't like them,'_ he turned up his nose.  

_That's news to me_.

'_I don't like them coming from her after my name then, how's that?' _Youko clarified.  '_You already know _I_ don't like using them._'

_Much more believable_, Kurama rolled his eyes discreetly while Kagome cleared her throat and took a step back towards the backdoor. 

"It was nice to meet you, Kurama-ku- Kurama," she corrected when he started forward at the beginnings of the suffix, holding up her hands and splaying her fingers in a placating gesture.  "All right, I'll drop it if you stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" he asked with perfectly feigned innocence.

_Like you're going to eat me,_ she clenched her teeth against the urge to say it, already suspecting he would twist it around to his advantage to see her blush.  He definitely seemed the type.  "You could blink now and then and it won't kill you for starters," she supplied instead, stepping up to the door and twisting the knob to push it open when she saw the slow smile easing across his face.

Youko snickered richly, '_Does she really think we can't tell that she's trying to run away?'_

"When you said we wouldn't get in too much trouble," Kurama started, letting Youko have his silent running commentary in the background as he focused more on drawing out more information, "what did you mean?  Whom would you be in trouble with?"

_Shit,_ Kagome blanched a bit, kicking herself for forgetting everything Shippou and Sesshoumaru had told her about kitsune and their memories.  Mentally wondering how on earth she was going to make herself look like she had nothing to hide as she scrabbled for a way to answer, "Ah.. I have a-" _a what?  What the hell do I call Sesshoumaru?_  "an… uncle."  _He's going to skin me for sure this time._  "Very overprotective type.  Doesn't like me to be around strange men."

'_She said "uncle," Kurama_,' Youko's voice definitely took on a wicked edge this time, surprising his other half with the wealth of promise underlying that deceptively innocent statement.

_I heard her too, you idiot, why are you so worked up about it?_ Kurama didn't let his confusion show on his face as he reached out and closed his hand over hers to prevent her from using that avenue of escape just yet.

'_Family association with a non-romantic insinuation,' _Youko recited as though reading aloud from some book that only he could see.  '_Classic kitsune behavior and if she's close with that irritating kit, she may have picked up on it.'_

Kurama blinked, staring at Kagome's questioning expression without really seeing it under the confusion going through him with Youko's remarks, _What the hell are you talking about?_

Youko made a sound of disgusted impatience, '_You would know if you opened up a little more… But, for now, I guess I have to try and explain._'

"Are you all right?" Kagome's own discomfort faded at the almost dazed expression on his face, swearing under her breath as she released the door to press the back of her hand to his forehead, _Don't tell me I accidentally zapped him-_

They subconsciously leaned into the touch, eyes drifting closed to relish the unencouraged contact with a deep sigh while Youko expounded, '_We do things our own way._'

_I never would have guessed_, Kurama snorted dryly.

'_If you're going to be a bitch about it, I'll let you muddle through on your own,_' Youko shot back in an affronted tone, chin up and grumbling until Kurama's apologies with Kagome's gentle prodding soothed his ruffled pride.  '_It's our way to show great respect, giving someone welcome into our family when they weren't born in.  You don't give them close relation titles when you've been intimate, though.  It's just inappropriate._'

_How much are you leaving out of that explanation? _Kurama muttered irritably, almost as confused has he'd been to begin with.

'_She's petting us, I have better things to think of than giving you lessons you already know but tell yourself you don't,'_ Youko informed him loftily, making a low, affectionate growl in his throat that had her fingers instinctively curling.  '_Ooh, good instincts.'_

_She's worried about us and you're taking advantage,_ Kurama tried to sound scolding, but his hand was already lifting out of her range of vision, ready to press against her back and knock her into him again.

'_You aren't exactly stopping me,_' Youko pointed out, turning to let his eyes open a slit and snake the tip of his tongue across her palm.

The banging of the back door coming open to hit the house had Kagome twisting away from him with that same lithe speed uncommon in the humans of this era, drawing admiration from Youko to battle with his supreme annoyance at being disrupted before he could get another kiss.

"So you met Kurama!" Yuusuke had a smirk on his face as he took in the blush on her face and the glare on his friend's, well aware he'd interrupted the kitsune trying to do… well, it had looked like he was planning to try and kiss her.

"Ah-" Kagome shot a cornered look between the two of them, taking a sliding step back when Kurama shifted his weight towards her.

"Don't let him scare you," Yuusuke couldn't resist sliding between them, feeling the dark emotions from Kurama intensify when his vision of the blushing miko was blocked off.  "Imagine him in a pink uniform surrounded by roses."

"You're going to die tonight, Yuusuke," Kurama whispered to him, eyes narrowed as he pondered where exactly to hit him and cause the most embarrassment or pain.

Kagome blinked, leaning to one side to look at the kitsune and put that blood-red hair with the suggested shade, "Pink?"

"Keiko's got pictures around somewhere from when we were kids," Yuusuke grinned and started to nod, side-stepping before Kurama could make good on the growled threat vibrating through his frame.

_Shippou had that phase with orange…_Kagome winced as she remembered the look on Shinju and Kaze's faces when they showed her the pictures, feeling the urge to come to this kitsune's defense and not having the faintest idea why.  She shook her head and shrugged it off, interrupting before the youki swirling around the yard could spike any higher… at least, that was the reason she convinced herself she was speaking up, "I'm sure it's not as bad as you think, Urameshi-san."

Both men deflated from their silent clash of wills, looking at her with varying degrees of surprised confusion as she clasped her hands behind her back and smiled helpfully.  Yuusuke sounded skeptical as he repeated, "Not as bad-?"

An image of Jakotsu suddenly cropped up in her head and she winced, reaching up to rub the back of her neck when her aura warmed and tried to pull in the youki around her in response to the emotions brought on by thoughts of that particular creature's appearance, "Clothes can change."  _Creepy facial tattoos are forever… Now if it were something like Sesshoumaru's markings-  Oh hell, Sesshoumaru.  _ "I should really get going."

Kurama elbowed Yuusuke in the side, sending him a speaking glare before he stepped around him, "You really should stay."  _Tell me what you were thinking about a moment ago.  What were the memories putting those shadows in your eyes and draining away what little aura you have?_

"I do owe you lunch," Yuusuke smoothly interjected, muttering out of the side of his mouth as he pushed Kurama aside, "Don't overdo whatever the hell you're doing, she's too young for you."

'_He did not just say that,_' Youko bristled at the insinuation.

"Really, it's not necessary," Kagome was protesting, obviously trying not appear rude as she fidgeted and cast about for the best way to convince the two men staring at her so intently that she didn't require _any_ sort of compensation.  "I should probably get home to say goodbye to Kaze before he has to leave-"

_More youkai? _Kurama's eyes narrowed a fraction in his suspicion.

"Just a quick bite," Yuusuke assured her, mentally tallying just how much his friends were going to owe him after going through all this just to keep the miko around without them telling her what was going through their twisted heads.  "There's a little café a couple blocks away that has Kurama's favorite udon."

Kagome opened her mouth and quickly snapped it shut when her stomach rumbled audibly, letting out a nervous laugh as she rested her hand over the offending organ, _So much for that excuse._

"Public place, Kagome," Yuusuke held out his hands, glancing at Kurama for not being the one to jump in and help out as he tried to find the sway her decision.  "You should really take me up on it, I ain't in the habit of buying and Kurama can vouch for that."

"Indeed," Kurama remarked dryly, lips quirking up as he slid a hand gracefully through his hair to push it back and send her his most disarming smile.  "What if I promise not to kidnap you and carry you off into the woods as my unwilling prisoner?"

_'Don't promise that!_'

Kagome was laughing before she could stop herself, the tension melting out of her shoulders at the deadpan tease as she shook her head and sighed, sending them both a genuine smile, "What the hell?  I'm already in trouble, I may as well get lunch out of it."

'_See?  Now she isn't taking us seriously!_' Youko lamented irritably, his pride demanding that oversight be corrected.  '_Dammit, Kurama, don't make promises like that without consulting me!'_

You_ didn't make the promise, now did you?_ Kurama cut him off, emphasizing that one word heavily enough to stop the kitsune mid-rant with a soft sound of realization.

Yuusuke frowned when he saw Kurama's gaze follow the miko into the house, flashing gold and filled with an emotion that was more… possessive than anything he'd ever seen in the kitsune's behavior, but shook it off when a blink restored the gentler emerald color.  "You owe me for this, you know that, right?" he nudged Kurama with an elbow as he stepped up to follow the regular path out the house and collect his shoes.

Kurama waved a hand dismissively, offering a smooth half-truth to distract his mostly human friend, "Relax, Yuusuke.  Hiei and I simply wish to rule out any potential involvement with Koenma's latest issue.  I know she doesn't feel like much, but she knows a lot about youkai for a person in this era, even a miko.  It's a little suspicious."

'_And sexy_.'

_Hiei's right, Youko, you really do have a fetish_.

'_It's a healthy, perfectly normal fantasy, thank you very much,'_ Youko turned up his nose, keeping their expression bland as the left to circle around to the front door and meet their not so unsuspecting prey coming out.  '_One that I have every intention of making good on with this cute little miko girl_.'

Kurama hid his mouth behind his hand when he couldn't resist taunting, _I don't know… Yuusuke might have something about you being too old for her.  She does look young, and you're practically ancient._

'WE _are perfectly ancient, you wretched wretched excuse for an alter ego!  And we are in our _prime_ as you well know!  I won't be too old for anything until the day someone manages to kill me, and that will probably be all your fault,_' he hissed out irritably, fully aware Kurama was baiting him for his own enjoyment.

_Stop that before you give us wrinkles, _Kurama couldn't resist repeating in a perfect imitation of Youko's bland tone.

'_I'm remembering this for when you fall asleep tonight_.'

_I stopped being afraid of that threat when this body was nine, Youko,_ Kurama rolled his eyes, leaning against the support beside the door and following the sounds in the foyer indicating Yuusuke had caught with Kagome and seemed to be in the process of apologizing for Keiko's sudden absence.

'_I'll have active, graphic fantasies about Hiei the minute I see him._'

_You wouldn't dare!_ Kurama nearly fell over in alarm.

'Graphic _fantasies_.'

_I take it back, Youko, _Kurama gritted his teeth.  _You're a complete child_.

Youko basked smugly in his victory.

~*~*~*~

"Give it up, kitsune, you aren't fast enough to win this," Hiei smirked wickedly at the boy straining to hold his wakizashis up against the potentially fatal downward strike.  He had to admit it was more than a little irritating that the kitsune refused to fully drop his illusion and let him see and feel the true form, but on the other hand, he was impressed he had the presence of mind to keep it hidden.  _Kurama was right, he's not as young as he wants us to think he is._

"You're a creampuff compared to the youkai I've fought, runt," Shippou snarled right back, aiming a kick at his stomach and rolling back to come into a defensive stance, eyes alert and arms poised for the next attack.  "Drop the complex.  Why are you in our lands?"

"Why are _you_ in the Ningenkai?" Hiei shot back, standing eerily still as the afternoon sunlight glinted coldly down his blade.  It was a stance that had never failed to intimidate lesser youkai, but this supremely irritating brat didn't look the least bit phased, "You don't belong on this plane of existence."

"We started out here, so it's more ours than the humans," Shippou shrugged that accusation away and started toying with a way to get Sesshoumaru to face off with this youkai.  He could just imagine the fight: hours turning into days with the two of them doing nothing but flashing those "scowls of death" across their field of battle and waiting for the other to strike first.

He almost snickered.

"Things change," Hiei's eyes narrowed, trying to focus through that damnable empty distortion hiding the kitsune's thoughts.

"Jumbled up little youkai start hanging around with Rekai's lapdogs," Shippou drawled out in response to that, sending him a cheeky grin when he saw his hands tense.  "So what are you?  I can't ask my usual source without looking suspicious and drawing attention to you."

"Your usual source?" one brow kicked up and set off Shippou's snickering again.

_That would probably either be the greatest or the most boring fight ever_, he shook his head regretfully at the slim chances of it ever happening.  This youkai was good, but he was younger than Shippou, and Sesshoumaru would probably consider it beneath him just to be more insulting.  "A good investigator never reveals his sources," Shippou winked.  "Especially not one that's never wrong."

_He's also not as stupid as he wants to appear,_ Hiei could feel his eyebrow give an uncharacteristic twitch of irritation.  "There is no such thing as an infallible resource, boy," he ground out instead, mind racing to find a way to trick him into talking more openly.

"Infallible?" Shippou cocked his head to one side as though pondering the idea.  "Never said that, but some things are just easy for them to see."  _She's never wrong about what makes up any youkai she feels out._

Hiei darted forward, inwardly cursing as when each slash was met and turned aside, watching the way those vivid eyes narrowed their focus in impressive determination, _The youkai that trained this boy was powerful.  Strict…_

They were silent for a few moments, nothing but the violent symphony of metal sliding across and striking metal as they blurred around the grove in what would have looked almost choreographed to anyone who might pass by.  Neither was inclined to admit it, but they were both enjoying the release of energy, having the chance to attack without holding back even when the scent of blood filled the air.

Shippou glanced down mournfully at the slice running across his thigh, or more correctly, the cut that had made through his pants, "That's two pairs ruined in one morning."

Hiei snorted, bending his elbow without taking his eyes off the pouting kitsune to slide his tongue over the edge of the katana to test out the actual strength of that blood, "Your kind whine about the most asinine things."

He huffed, shaking his head and sinking down into a ready position again, "You have no appreciation for how hard it is to find the right clothing.  Then again, you can probably shop in the ladies' section with that size-" Shippou eyed him critically.

Claret eyes flashed with dark anger at the suggestion he would lower himself to do such things, "You seem to be in a hurry to die, kitsune."

He shrugged, reaching back to rub the back of his head awkwardly without loosening his grip on his weapon, "Not particularly.  Then again, you don't have much chance of killing me."

"Arrogant assumption," Hiei scoffed at the very idea that _he_ wouldn't be the victor.

"You say that, but Big Dog doesn't let us wander around on our own unless he's convinced we're nasty little bastards," that cheeky grin was back just as there was a "_poof_" off to Hiei's left that snapped his head around to see Shippou rushing at his from that side.

He brought his sword around to block when something hit him hard in the back and threw his balance off just enough for the kitsune to get in a slash across Hiei's stomach.  He leapt back, pausing on the branch of a tree to stare down at the mirror image standing beside the original, _Fucking hell, he _is_ good with his illusions.  It was perfect,_ his lip curled in disgust at having to admit to that, his hand absently touching the healing wound on his stomach.

"Sorry, but you know it's all about winning," Shippou saluted him, the illusion perfectly mimicking the action just to annoy the other youkai.

Hiei wanted to wipe that damn smirk off that brat's face, but stopped short when he remembered his promise to Kurama.  For a moment his jaw clenched, but then another idea occurred to him and he flicked the katana to rid it of blood before sheathing it, eyes closed to make the low chuckle seem more casual, "Is it?"

Something about the tone of his voice alerted Shippou to the change in his intentions, letting his illusion fade and catching the leaf as he kept a wary eye on the shorter youkai, "What do you mean?"

Hiei folded his arms and leaned back against the tree, cracking one eye open and offering, "This.  Is this really about winning?  Or are you trying to hide something?"

Shippou went still, straightening as all traces of play leeched out of his stance and expression, _It's not possible._

"Some_one_?" one eyebrow kicked up, salving his pride at falling for the illusion with the way the kitsune had gone still, eyes trying to hide his nervousness behind a hard glare.  _You know what I'm talking about, you stubborn kitsune._  _Show your damn hand so I can leave you here and hunt down Kurama and your miko._

Blue sparks of flame snapped up around Shippou's hands, eyes narrowing and slowly filling with absolute deadly warning, "Explain."

Hiei blinked at the imperious demand and let out a bark of laughter, chin kicking up at a cocky angle designed to annoy the impulsive boy further, "If you're too foolish to figure out when you've walked into a trap, what use will it be to have it spelled out for you?"

_Walked into… No,_ Shippou's blades came up again, foxfire dancing down the length of the blade as his eyes flashed and his lips curled up off his lengthening fangs, "If you've done anything to my sister, I swear that I'll take great pleasure in tearing your body into little pieces and feeding it to Kirara."

Shippou probably would have been horrified to hear just how much he'd actually picked up from all those decades of listening to Sesshoumaru threaten death and dismemberment against the various youkai and humans they'd encountered, but as it was his mind was already racing to think out what he could have done to Kagome being-

His eyes went wide in alarm and Hiei's smirk widened, eyes filled with cruel delight at causing that much panic with so few words and carefully digging the truth in deeper, "My _friend_ did not intend to harm her."

_The other one… the kitsune!_ Shippou fell back a step, the wakizashis melting back into nonexistence as his fists clenched, looking back to plan his run back to the Urameshi house.  _Goddammit, I am _so_ fucking stupid!_

"Divide and conquer," Hiei pressed.  "Don't you kitsune learn that when you're little kits? "

"She'll kill him before she lets him close," Shippou rounded on him with a fierce snarl, flinging out a hand as Hiei barely dodged before the area he'd been standing exploded with whatever the boy had just thrown.  "_I'll _kill him!  Damn you, you cheap dirty bastard!  Leave my sister out of this!"

"She's human, isn't she?" Hiei observed casually from behind him, pretending to ponder that simple truth.  _If he gets any angrier, he's going to blow up._  "Off limits to little youkai like you."

The foxfire was starting to darken where it was closest to skin, rippling his clothes in an unnatural curl of wind echoing his rise of temper and making Hiei frown as he saw a faint pink mark that looked mostly composed of a circle centered below his sternal notch, _A family mark shouldn't be so indistinct…_

"You'll die if you touch her," Shippou promised him in a thick growl, pulling Hiei out of his attempt to puzzle out what that oddly drawing mark on the boy's chest actually was.  "Big Dog was never big on sharing, especially after the accident."

Hiei's eyes flashed in triumph, _That's it… get pissed off, brat.  Tell me what the hell you are and where you come from.  How are you involved with that empty miko?_

Shippou's lips spread in a cold smile, dark stripes flickering in on his cheeks as the first bits of his illusion started to crumble, eyes never leaving Hiei despite the intensifying spiral of his fire, "You have no idea who you're up against."

"Enlighten me," Hiei's body tensed, ready to fight or flee depending on just what the kitsune let go after he finished this emotional gathering of ki.  This was taking the altercation to a new level, and if he stayed, he would either break his promise or die trying, _So they're willing to protect her at all costs… interesting._

"He'll introduce himself," Shippou touched his middle finger to the spot between his eyebrows, forefinger and thumb splayed and crackling with darker energy as the ground under his feet flashed.  "Now if you'll excuse me… I'm going to get my sister."

Hiei's eyes went wide when the kitsune's fire abruptly snapped up and wound around him, apparently yanking him down to vanish into the ground with a blinding flash.  He stared down at the final trace of foxfire skating in a circle at the point he'd been standing only a second ago, swearing darkly in his head at the wholly unexpected ending to the fight as he hunted out Kurama's mind, _That conniving little shit just disappeared into the ground!_

There was a moment of surprised hesitation before he received an answer, dropping from the tree to circle the scorched perimeter and prod it with a foot, _In the mountains or still in the forest?_

_            Forest_.

            _'That answers that,'_ Youko drawled out in a particularly unconcerned tone.  '_Figures though…'_

            _What do you mean?_ Hiei demanded irritably.

            '_Forests take a lot of time perfecting their illusions, they like to be able to blend in,'_ he shrugged as though that should have been common knowledge.

            _That would have been _nice_ to know, _Hiei's eyebrow twitched as he felt the concentrated heat of foxfire snap through his foot, turning it curiously as he gauged how detrimental that would have been to another creature.  _At least tell me you have the miko,_ he demanded.

            _Did you really think I wouldn't?_ Kurama frowned at the suggestion he would have been the one who failed.  _She's disturbingly sweet for a miko, or at least that's what Youko says.  I think she's young too._

            _About to add cradle robbing to your long list of conquests? _Hiei found himself smiling despite his frustration, some of it admittedly easing at hearing the kitsune had been bluffing about her reaction to Kurama.

            '_I've already been over this with Kurama_,_' _Youko snorted arrogantly.

            _In other words, you don't care_.

            '_Not particularly_.'

            Hiei rolled his eyes, bending down to rub his hand across the ash and lift his hand to stare at it, rubbing it between his fingers and bringing it up to taste it, _He's coming for her, by the way_.

            _That's nice,_ Kurama turned his head away from the table for the moment to smirk and slide the tip of his tongue up his thumb in a particularly demonic motion, not wanting to alert Yuusuke to his internal conversation as they both watched Kagome have a conversation with the manager.  _I left him a thank-you note._

            _Sick bastard_, he scowled at the bland taste, making a note to ask Kurama if foxfire was naturally absent of any usual organic fire compounds.

            _Nothing serious, but it should be enough to keep him busy a bit longer, _Kurama assured him innocently, propping his chin up on his hand as his eyes trailed over the girl before moving with less enthusiasm to they human boy.  _Dammit, he's blushing._

            _What?_ Hiei blinked in confusion.  _Who's blushing?_

_            Nevermind,_ he shook his head, sending a warning frown at the oblivious person in his modified uniform-tuxedo.  _Someone here in the café is being inappropriate._

He had to fight the urge to roll his eyes when he closed his own to focus on "seeing" through Kurama and found the kitsune's full weighted stare was directed to a cheerful man laughing with the miko, _You don't honestly feel threatened by that person, do you?_

_            I'm much more physically appealing, but she's skittish and she said she'd be in trouble for being near me,_ Kurama was suddenly radiating smug arrogance that had Hiei's eyebrow kicking up suspiciously.

            _What did you do?_

            '_It was just one kiss,' _Youko defended with contrived innocence, completely ruining it by giving every impression of licking his lips as he directed their eyes to wander back to the miko dreamily.  '_A damn good one too if I do say so myself.'_

_            And she hasn't run away screaming about you being a perverted old man? _Hiei snorted in amusement.  _Maybe she's not as intelligent as I hoped._

_            Actually, she threw us,_ Kurama admitted, still a bit flabbergasted at the memory.  _She apologized for it afterwards though…_

            Hiei laughed out loud, safe to do so with none of their human companions anywhere near enough to see or hear him behave in such an uninhibited manner, _Threw you?_

_            'It's not that funny,'_ Youko frowned.

            Hiei shook his head, kicking the circle of ash one more time before he took to the trees to blur back to civilization and rendezvous with them to finally meet this empty miko, _I like her already._

_            'You are forbidden from conspiring with our lover for matters that involve our humiliation for your personal enjoyment,' _Youko growled out sharply.

            Hiei smirked at the very thought, _You already know I don't make promises I can't keep, Fox_.

            _I'll dismember you slowly,_ Kurama reinforced the threat darkly.

            _I'll convince her you're into men and using her for breeding purposes only_.

            Kurama ground his teeth together hard when Youko pointed out that he was losing his touch with his threats, being out-maneuvered twice in less than an hour, _Next time he's about to punch us, Youko, I'm not letting you hide behind me._

_            'Don't be a sore loser, Kurama, we all have our off days_.'__

_            I won't let you feel it the next time I kiss her_.

            '_Now _that _is just cruel!_' Youko sputtered in protest, unsure as to whether or not Kurama would be able to restrict his senses to such an extreme degree under those circumstances, but unwilling to take the risk.

            Kurama caught Kagome's eye the next time she glanced back at him, feeling infinitely better when she blushed at his wink, stammering and turning her back on him to bow and start wrapping up her conversation, _I learned from the best_, _Youko._

            '_Don't flatter me right after you've threatened me with such terrible things_,' he pouted.

            Hiei rolled his eyes and tuned them out, unable to stop the eagerness that rushed through him at the promise of finally getting his answers, rolling around the ideal possibility of having something to hang over Koenma's head for a change.


	20. Spoils of Association

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Heh heh, the plot thickens! … or something like that.  –grins and giggles-  I have gotten so many absolutely beautiful and sweet remarks from people that I don't think I'll ever stop blushing.  It's so much fun to hear what people think of the story and parts that they particularly enjoyed.  I'm just delighted it's providing as much entertainment to read as it is to me to write it, and I adore you all for saying such wonderful things to me.  I know you have questions, and I know I'm being stingy on the answers, but rest assured, it'll all come out in the wash.  –bows and blows kisses-  Have at it…

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Spoils of Association~

            "Thanks, Houjo-kun, it's good to see you too," Kagome smiled with nostalgic affection, still unable to really grasp the idea of him working as the manager of such a popular restaurant.  Although hearing about his major in medicine did bring a laugh out of her, particularly when he gave her the credit for his career choice, "The doctor I see now has finally managed to fix everything, and I don't have to worry anymore."

            "That's such a relief, Higurashi-san," he beamed at her, lifting one hand behind his back in a boyish action that he obviously had yet to grow out of.  "I used to have nightmares that you were my patient, you know.  Ah-" he blushed when he realized how that sounded and tried to backtrack.  "Not that I wouldn't love to have seen you-!  When-when I'm in practice-"

            Kagome waved a hand with another giggle, "It's all right, Houjo-kun, my medical history would be a nightmare for any student to sift through, ne?  I'll stick with the family doctor for my professional care, don't worry."

            When Houjo blushed and laughed with her, Kagome felt a shiver go down her spine, a rise of ki that actually tried to actively twine around her skin and pull her backwards.  But… a faint hint of a frown furrowed her brow when it went no further, not attacking or melding-  Realization went through her as she looked back at the table, unable to guard the surprise coloring her expression as her eyes met with piercing emerald, _He doesn't know…?  Then why is he-?_

            That same devouring fire that seemed to light in his eyes whenever she made direct contact was waiting for her, one corner of his lips kicking up as he laced his fingers together to make a cradle for his chin and winked at her again.

            Kagome felt her cheeks turn pink at the possibility that she was trying to read too deeply into what she was seeing and feeling from this beautiful kitsune in his flawless human shell, quickly turning her back on him in favor of looking at someone who didn't make her heart try and skip a few essential beats, _I'm absolutely out of my mind.  And what the hell does he thinks he's doing to me?  Kissing me like that!  I…_ her internal rant cut off just as quickly as it started and she let out a sigh of self-disgust.  _Who am I kidding?  I didn't say no. Hell I didn't even _want_ to say no, but-_

"And don't worry about your lunch bill, Higurashi-san," Houjo was saying in his same unfailingly cheerful voice, the hand on her shoulder really what had snapped her from her musings.  "Consider it a gift for finally being well."

            She blinked and started to chuckle again, shaking her head and reaching up to give his hand a squeeze, acknowledging the old friendship her way, "Thanks.  You really are a sweet guy, Houjo-kun."  _If I could imagine you looking that cheerful after washing copious amounts of blood out of my clothes on a regular basis, we might even have had a chance with the dating thing._

Houjo's attention was claimed by one of his waiters before he could respond to that, politely excusing himself after offering his well-wishes and leaving Kagome free to join her lunch dates, "Sorry about that… I didn't realize he worked here."

            "Friend of yours?" Yuusuke inquired as he watched Kurama's expression, shocked at the almost battle-ready aura that had taken over his friend the moment that guy had touched the miko.  For a moment, he'd wondered if he'd have to restrain Kurama from killing the guy with one of the potted trees lining the entry, and what the hell he had against the human, when Kagome had returned to the table and he'd abruptly relaxed, _This isn't making sense… he doesn't know this girl, I _know_ he doesn't, so what's going on?  Shit, is he-?  Gods, he's flirting with a miko?!_

            "I went to high school with him, but I haven't seen him in six years," she subtly ignored the space beside Kurama and sat at the end of the table, leaning back in the chair in a way that made Yuusuke envy her smaller frame for a moment.  "He gives me credit for directing him into his career path."

            "Restaurant management?" Yuusuke repeated in unimpressed disbelief.

            Kagome laughed a little louder at that and waved her hand to dismiss that impression, "No, no.  This is his part-time job, Houjo-kun is pre-med."

            _Oh shit_, Kurama hid the wince that bit of information caused.

            '_What's wrong?'_ Youko was instantly alert, sweeping around for what could have caused their sinking sensation so rapidly.

            _Stable career, _he pointed out, trying to smile politely when Kagome continued to speak about her experience with the budding homeopath that human had been through school, biting his tongue when she spoke about failed dates and matchmaking friends.  _And they had a relationship before._

            '_So we're killing him, right?_'__

_            He's human, we can't_, Kurama didn't sound the least bit pleased to have to reiterate that, grinding his teeth together and tuning back in when Kagome sighed.  _Not unless we can trick him into doing something that threatens the barriers_.

            "He hasn't changed a bit either," she reached for her water glass and took a sip to give her enough of a break to readjust her thoughts from things that felt like they'd happened a lifetime ago.

            "Good or bad news?" Yuusuke prodded when he saw the speculative gleam that had entered Kurama's eyes, hoping to diffuse the situation before he found himself cleaning up after a nasty "prank."

            "I guess it's a good thing," she tilted her head and ran her fingers through her hair, absently pulling in over her shoulder and separating the pieces to weave a loose braid.  "He's always been polite, sweet… he used to bring me presents almost every day.  With Houjo-kun, it's always been 'what you see is what you get,' probably couldn't lie if his life depended on it.  He's naïve too, definitely innocent compared to most guys our age."

            Kurama was cringing on the inside with every new descriptive verb that was about as far removed from his personality as he could possibly be while Youko was humming tunelessly to himself, unconcerned with the growing list and eyeing the foliage at his disposal around this human establishment that could be bent to his plans for that 'polite' boy.

            "Wait, six years?" Yuusuke latched onto that in confusion, sitting forward with his brows lifted in question.  "How old _are _you, Kagome?"

            "Twenty-five," she almost choked on her water at the stunned look on his face.  "What?  What's wrong with that?"

            "You… look younger," he cleared his throat and mumbled, quickly trying to redirect the conversation before she found out he'd thought she was still a teenager or before Kurama could add words to that smirk he was sending his way.  "So, you- ah… you dated that Houjo guy?"

            "If you can call it that," Kagome chewed on her lip absently, tossing the braid back over her shoulder without really thinking of the fact that she hadn't tied off the end.  "I ended up standing him up more often than not."

            _What?_ Kurama and Youko's imaginations came to a halt, focusing back into the discussion with an unfurling feeling of hopeful expectation.

            "Poor guy, never complained a single time," Kagome was shaking her head, tucking her knee up to her chest without a thought to their public location, definitely not helping Yuusuke shake the idea that she really wasn't too young for his friend to be eyeing that way.  "Like I said, he's a great person, but he's really not my type."  _And I had all my responsibilities in the past, those were more important than encouraging an unreciprocated crush._

            Youko would have gotten up right then to hunt out the human boy and kiss him if Kurama hadn't put his foot down, '_What?  Not _that_ way, you little pervert, he just helped us!_'

            _I can't believe you had the gall to accuse _me_ of your behavioral specialty,_ Kurama's eyebrow twitched as he got his irritation under control and slid his chair closer to Kagome.

            _'A gratitude kiss is not perverted,_' Youko sniffed delicately, offended at the suggestion that he would find that Houjo person attractive enough to grace with his appetites.  '_For all you know, he helped her develop tastes more suited to our personality, and if that's true, we should give him a present._'

            _You're feeling generous lately_, Kurama couldn't help but smile as he watched Kagome smack Yuusuke's hand with her chopsticks to stun him away from the last piece of calamari, sticking her tongue out tauntingly after she'd popped it in her mouth.

            '_It's poor taste not to reward those who provide you with assistance in obtaining a more valuable prize,_' he lectured patiently.  '_Eventually you may have to kill them anyway, but it's still better not to snub useful allies unnecessarily._'

            Kagome suddenly frowned and pressed her hand to the arm of the chair, twisting around under the guise of popping her back as she looked down the street towards the buzz of youki approaching too rapidly to be a car, _That's… damn, it's the youkai Shippou was chasing at the Urameshi house, but… Did Shippou go home?_  _Is he hurt?_

            Kurama had been reaching out when he saw the concern on her face, the hand pausing when he scented the air and realized just what it was that had drawn her attention, _Hiei?_

            _What?_

            _Just making sure… Gods, you smell horrible,_ he made a face before he completed the motion and rested his hand on her knee, impressed by her ability to detect the hybrid.  "Kagome, are you all right?" he pitched his voice low, making sure it slid down along her senses just as effectively as a physical caress.

            _Not all of us have the ability to perfume unwanted aromas out of our skin at will, you demented florist,_ Hiei shot back nastily, slowing his pace far enough away to try and prevent suspicion in the surrounding humans to walk the remaining distance.  _She's still there?_

_            Of course she is, _he wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained on the chance she would look at him.  _You could have washed the blood off at least._

            "It's nothing," she didn't say a word about the placement of his hands, eyes still focused in the direction he knew Hiei would be coming from, her body taut as though poised for an attack as they shared a look behind her.

            '_It looks like her other instincts are just as good,_' Youko wasn't the least bit concerned, stroking their hand up and down that small space of her thigh to soothe her and reassure her on a more basic level that there was no reason for her to worry in his company.  '_Oh I like this one… She's smart and she attentive to her surroundings.  We won't have to worry about watching her every second when we're hunting-_'

            _There is no way in hell Kagome will be anywhere near hunting,_ Kurama scolded him with a long-suffering sigh.  _Just because she's a miko, it doesn't mean that we can drag her into our world more than she already is.  Remember?  We can't tell her what we do._

            '_Well _that's _bullshit,'_ Youko pouted openly.  '_I want to watch her hands when she's fighting a youkai.  I want to see how she moves and the expression on her face.  I bet she'd be sexy right after a fight… all sweaty and panting and bloody…  You can feel it in her, Kurama, if she learns how, you know it'll be good!_'

            _I can't picture Kagome killing anyone, Youko, we're wrong about her hands,_ Kurama lied rather than give into just how appealing he found Youko's latest fantasy image, giving her leg a squeeze that finally got her to turn back and look at him curiously, shadows of worry still clouding her eyes.  _She said it herself, the youkai she's with don't want her near fighting_.  

            '_She knew the kit took off after Hiei,_' Youko refocused to offer that assistance when he realized his other side had drawn a blank beyond the urge to drag her over to his chair and wrap his arms around her comfortingly at her continued unresponsiveness.  '_She can't feel him, and she's worried.  Reassure her and we'll earn points._'

            "Your little brother is fine," Kurama gave her as gentle a smile as he could manage, ignoring Yuusuke's kick under the table when he finally noticed where the kitsune was touching her.  "That's our friend, Hiei-"

            "He's the fast one," Kagome's shoulders relaxed slightly, searching his eyes to be sure he was telling the truth, not thinking of just how much she was giving away by saying that instead of asking for more clarification.

            Yuusuke's mouth opened, recovering before Kurama to lean forward and murmur, "How do you-?"

            "The one who was on the roofs when Shippou tried to kill us on his skates?" she pressed, a note of annoyance entering her voice when she remembered that experience.  Shaking it off, she looked back and forth between their faces tensely until she had the nod of agreement before demanding, "You're sure nothing happened?"

            "He ran away."

            Kagome glanced up, jumping a bit in surprise when she unexpectedly recognized the shorter youkai standing behind her and blurted out, "Oh!  Damn, I remember you!  I ran into you!"

            Hiei nodded once, hooking his foot around the leg of a nearby chair and dragging it over while turning it backwards and straddling the seat so close at her side that she would brush up against him if she so much as shifted her weight that direction.  Without a word, he folded his arms across the back before pinning her with a scowl that never failed to send the Ningenkai humans into a cowering mush that vaguely resembled their former self.

            Or at least… that's what was supposed to happen.

            "Houjo-kun!  We need another menu," Kagome turned easily away and held up her hand when her former schoolmate passed by, grinning her thanks when he snagged it from a passing waiter and handed it along with smooth efficiency before moving back to his duties.  "We've been eating already, but my friend is footing the bill if you're hungry."

            Hiei was at a loss, but luckily for his suffering pride, so was the idiot kitsune and the even less tolerable "lapdog" Takashima had mocked him for associating with.  He made a vague sound that even he wasn't sure translated into, but she didn't act the least bit disturbed.

            Kagome twisted to hold the menu out to him, her expression perfectly calm as she waited for him to reach for it in reflex.  Taking advantage of the distraction, her other hand snapped up to catch it, making the search as quick and masked as possible to hide it under the jolt of sudden contact, _Half and half… opposing elements.  So that's why it's jumbled._

            Hiei jerked his hand out of hers, the glare gaining heat as he sat back and hissed out, "Miko, you-!"

            "Your hand is going to stain in an unpleasant pattern if you don't wipe off the ash," the cut him off, covering the search expertly as she pointed to the remnants of Shippou's foxfire across his palm before passing along her water and a linen napkin.  "Trust me, he does it on purpose just to be a pain."

            He blinked as he processed that information and then swore under his breath, dunking the napkin and scrubbing furiously at his palm.  She lifted her hand to hide an errant giggle when she heard something that sounded suspiciously like "fucking kitsune tricks."

            _'Did you see her eyes?_' Youko distracted Kurama again, attention narrowed and peering at her intently as he struggled with a strange feeling teasing at his instincts.  Something had just happened, he was sure of it, but it had been so fast or so subtle that he completely missed it… and that was annoying him to no end.  '_For just a moment they looked old… old like our kind of old._'

            _That and she managed to grab onto Hiei.  That's some kind of miracle,_ Kurama sat up straighter in his chair, sighing as he rubbed his chin in contemplation of this confusing little miko, belatedly realizing it really was just odd on it's own that she would be so at ease with them.  _We aren't the most polished little group of people ever to occupy the same space…_

_            You mean to say that a young human girl from a temple should not find relaxation so easily having lunch with a punk, a killer, and a thief,_ Hiei reworded that toned-down observation dryly.

            _Your eloquence astounds me at times_, he couldn't stop the taunting quirk of his lips, even more pronounced when it encouraged a much _less_ eloquent suggestion from the hybrid.  One that was abruptly cut off when Kagome smacked both hands down on the table and made a sound of triumph, as though she'd had some great epiphany.

            "If _you're _the guy I ran into that night," she started without needing to be prompted, pointing at Hiei's bland expression before turning to look at Kurama in surprise.  "Then that means you were the other one!"  Kagome sat back and smacked herself lightly in the head, "Mou… I can't believe I didn't recognize that hair."

            Hiei's eyebrow kicked up.

            To the absolute amazement of Kurama and Yuusuke, Kagome didn't miss a beat with translating the minute shift of expression, and -to Hiei's undying surprise- accurately as well, "I know, I know, I'm getting to it.  I saw him first before I ran into you, and I remember thinking he looked ready to chew through his own arm to get away from the girl he was walking with.  I almost hit her and then I got distracted by looking at his hair and well-" she trailed off and shrugged, giving Hiei and apologetic smile.  "Sorry about that, it's just not common to see now, and you were blending in."  _Or trying to, and I wasn't exactly open to receiving youki at that particular moment._

_            I don't know if I should be horrified that she speaks your language or laugh my ass off because you look so uncomfortable that she can,_ Kurama broke the silence internally, his lips twitching at his stiff-backed friend.

            Hiei recovered with a quick shake of his head, slanting him a scowl and pointing out, _She noticed you're abominable taste in human females, perhaps there is hope for her yet._

            "Hang on, Kagome, you _walked_ into Hiei?" Yuusuke raked a hand through his hair, pausing with his palm flat against his scalp and a bit of a dizzy look on his face.  "Like ran _into_ him?"

            "It was dark and I was in a hurry," she sighed and nodded, not seeing what was so remarkable about that.

            "Ran into _you_," Yuusuke wanted that clarified, jabbing a finger in Hiei's direction and glaring right back when it earned him one of the more common variety life threatening scowls.

            "You do not give off an aura," it was practically an accusation, and her posture underwent a subtle shift that made it perfectly clear she had just readied herself against possible hostility.

            '_I told you she was a fighter,_' Youko reminded him smugly in the face of Kurama's growing doubts.  '_Ooh, curl those fingers again,_' he leaned them forward when she propped her chin up on her hand, unconsciously brushing her own fingers over her cheek in a way that made his hand itch to copy it.

            _That could just be human training,_ Hiei pointed out, something about the rough edge of his voice making Kurama's brows lower in speculation.

            _Can't you-_?

            _Her mind clicks in and out to me,_ Hiei cut him of brusquely, unwilling to admit to the failing of his normally dependable advantage.  _Like it's incomplete… or distorted somehow.  I don't know why it's not working, but nothing I can pick up makes any sense.  It may be movies or dreams for all I know, the pieces aren't long enough or clear enough to tell_.

            Kagome looked around, her jaw set as she looked for something she didn't find before folding her hands together in front of her and leaning back, showing them the more serious side of her yet again, "No, I don't."

            "Why?"

            _You're being rude,_ Kurama growled at him, unwilling to trade his chance at accomplishing his procreation goals for the answers Hiei wanted.  _If you scare her off, Hiei, I swear I'm going to plant a few seeds in you that you won't enjoy._

            _That's the most blatantly sexual threat I've ever heard come out of your mind, Kurama_, Hiei's eyes took on a highly amused edge as he narrowed the taunt at the kitsune, snickering richly in his head at the color that flooded his cheeks and the swearing trying to burn a hole through his head.

            "Because I'm not that kind of person," Kagome chewed on her lip and tried out the best excuse she'd been able to pander off so far.  "I used to get sick a lot as a kid, and I never had any sort of 'great spiritual power.'  I've seen a ghost or two, and I told you how I learned about youkai, but whenever Jii-chan has taken me to monks or mikos here, they've never gotten any sense that I had anything special."  _Because they're idiots, not because it wasn't there…  Everyone with training in the past could tell, but still, it means I'm not lying to them when I say it like that._

            "So your aura is just that weak," Yuusuke sighed and sat back.  "Problem solved…"

            Youko rolled his eyes and made an impatient sound, '_No one's aura is "just that weak," it's not right.  Is he trying to be dense?'_

            _Highly possible_, Hiei sighed in annoyance, pinning the miko under a critical eye and almost giving into frustration when she seemed wholly unaffected by the attention that could make even Kurama fidget under the right circumstances.

            _'Now who's being sexual?_' Youko taunted.

            _Shut up, I'm being serious,_ Hiei squeezed his hand into a fist momentarily, a silent warning that he offered whenever he had to leave his katana behind lest he arouse suspicions in the humans around them.  _You said it yourself, she shouldn't be so at ease with us, especially with how well she is able to tell when we're near her.  She has to sense that we're dangerous creatures._

'_Maybe you're just losing your touch_.'

            Kagome sighed, tilting her head and bringing her hands up in front of her face, blissfully unaware of the way Youko murmured in admiration at what was quickly becoming his favorite feature.  Even more when she looked at Hiei over where she'd pressed her splayed fingertips together, "That isn't really what you want to ask me about though, is it?  Did you think I wouldn't notice that the only ones you invited to this lunch have… special blood, Urameshi-san?  You obviously all went to a lot of trouble to get me away from Shippou for some reason."

            '_Clever… very clever,_' Youko sighed appreciatively, shifting their foot to brush over her calf smoothly and grinning when she jumped and glared at him.  '_And she knows when to be direct instead of just circling around the real issue.  This just keeps getting better, Kurama!  Now we have to figure out where to hide her until she loves us,_' he trailed off, images and plans sifting through his head rapidly from a lifetime Kurama still refused to access… mostly at least.

            _If you're finished?_ Hiei prodded him sardonically, opening his mouth to pick from the long list of things they could ask when Yuusuke bluntly beat them to it, asking the one question neither youkai had honestly remembered had anything to do with the situation.

            "Does the name Onigumo mean anything to you?" he tossed it out offhandedly, yawning and rubbing the back of his head, obviously expecting her to shrug or shake her head and leave them to move onto the next thing.

            But a stillness settled over the table, drawing their full attention to the end of the table where Kagome sat, her face wiped clean of any emotion and draining of color until she was almost deathly pale.  Eyes glassy and wide as she gave Yuusuke her unblinking attention, her feet slowly slipped down to rest flat on the floor and her hands lowered to her lap before she repeated very carefully, "Onigumo."

            _Holy shit,_ Kurama murmured at the transformation, sitting forward as eager anticipation warred with concern in case she actually did something like faint in front of them with as white as she'd become.  _That was _not_ the reaction I expected._

            _She _is _connected to this then,_ Hiei felt a curl of satisfaction finally, some of his own angry frustration easing at the indication that they could be back on top of things soon instead of blindly stumbling around a half-step behind everyone else.  _She's heard that name before._

_            And not in a good way_, Kurama reached up, intent on touching his hand to her face to snap her out of whatever internal trace she'd just drawn herself into when his hand was suddenly seized in a grip that nearly crushed every last bone from his wrist to his fingers.

            Three pairs of eyes snapped up, their owners going into various stages of aggressive defense as they met with a dark violet gaze filled with absolutely frigid, arrogant anger set into a painfully attractive face.

            Youko instantly started to growl darkly, predator to predator as he watched the imposing figure shift his head to bring inhumanly perfect dark hair into his eyes for a particularly menacing appearance when he bent over to put his mouth beside Kagome's ear.  '_That's him!_  _That's the fucking inu trying to steal our lover!'_  

The rest of that thick, silky mass had been woven into a long braid spilling over his shoulder and into Kagome's lap as whispered something in her ear without releasing them from the threat in his eyes as they flashed gold.  

However, he did release Kurama in favor of gripping her shoulder, fingers flexing into the muscle tightly as he waited until she nodded before his voice lifted just enough to extend out to the rest of the table, "Bid your… 'guests' goodbye, miko.  We are going home.  _Now._"

~*~*~*~

            _Onigumo_.

            Kagome swallowed hard against the instinctive rise of bile, the urge to gather her strength together in one immense wave of purifying energy in an effort to banish even the suggestion of that human's existence.  But through that knee-jerk reaction, a glimmer of rationality returned and she found her thoughts racing over more important matters.

            Mainly why now, five hundred years later, were three individuals with varying levels of powerful youki rattling off his name to her when they obviously had no idea who she was beyond the offered, dubious title of a miko.  If she'd just had some indication they were going to ask something like that, she'd have been better prepared to guard her reaction rather than so transparently give away that the name affected her more than she would ever willingly admit to more than a handful of people.

            And _how_ did they even know it?  Or know to ask _her_ out of every other person in Japan?  What had they found to connect her when they'd been so careful?

            Before she could shake the unwelcome chill out of her mind and body, a pulse of youki vibrated through her, winding possessively around her to forcefully pull her musings from such things; one she knew as intimately as she knew her own aura.  

And unfortunately, one that felt predictably incensed as it drew nearer, making sure to insinuate that emotion into the core of her being until his large hand passed through her peripheral vision on its way to prevent Kurama from touching her.

Internally she groaned when Sesshoumaru's singularly overwhelming presence pressed in around her, the braid she'd woven before sending him off caressing her cheek on its way down her chest when he slowly leaned down and whispered, "This Sesshoumaru anticipates hearing what outrageous excuse you are going to fashion to explain such blatant disobedience."

_Definitely pissed_, she carefully focused backwards, ignoring the posturing for the moment to take comfort from his presence in her unbalanced state and let him feel that there was more to this scene than he could see.  

His hand curved over the muscle of her shoulder, squeezing as a faint growl vibrate down her spine as he took the more verbal route for once, "Something has happened to disturb you."

Kagome nodded a single time, shifting her weight to hold back her response to the increased clarity of his emotional state even before he pulled her towards him and raised that controlled growl, "Bid your… 'guests' goodbye, miko.  We are going home.  _Now._"

            _Or in translation_, Kagome's face still maintained it's unclear expression as she turned it over in her head.  _'Your disobedience displeases me and if you don't want them to all die an instant, violent death for bringing about unnecessary danger to your mental state, you will stand up and follow me like a trained puppy to feed my astronomical taiyoukai ego.'_

            "Hang on, Takeharuka…  Kagome ain't leaving if she doesn't want to go," Yuusuke's lips spread in a grin that was oddly reminiscent of Inuyasha when he was looking for a fight even going so far as to crack his knuckles theatrically as he finally had a personal sight of what his friends meant with their accusations of his heritage.  He'd just more or less screamed to them he was about as human as Hiei, eyes challenging and warning them away from the little miko he apparently considered to be his private property.  _This could make for the most fun we've had in months._

            Kagome stood in a rush before he could say more and start what would most likely become a rather messy fight, relieved when she saw the flash of approval in Sesshoumaru's eyes that she was so quick to obey the unspoken command as she bowed to the trio making her head swim with the way their youki had begun fluctuating, "I'm terribly sorry I can't stay longer, but something more important has come up.  Please tell Houjo-kun I said goodbye and I'll come to see him soon."

            '_Damn, we have to stop him,' _Youko's eyes narrowed, his own lips twisting in a cruel smile that Kurama had to forcefully resist echoing as they sized up the man who had yet to take his hand off their lover.  '_He's trying to shorten her leash… take her away from us, and now he knows we're showing our interest openly.  He'll hide her and tell her terrible things to make her stop thinking about us._'

            _It's not like we can fight him for her in the middle of a restaurant, Youko_, Kurama insisted, but he was still rising to his feet slowly, eyes hard and determined as he sized up the man maneuvering Kagome behind his back.  _Even if we could, we'd be stupid to start a fight when we don't know anything about him except that he's an inu._

_            Not to mention he's the leader of these other youkai, _Hiei pointed out.  _Takashima is a skilled opponent, and that means this one has to be powerful_.

            Golden eyes speared him on the spot at the perceived act of aggression, and Sesshoumaru's fingers suddenly splayed out in a motion that clearly indicated he was accustomed to having claws at his disposal.  But Kagome's hand had wrapped around his wrist before he could do more, shaking her head and murmuring softly, "Please?"

            '_Don't look at him with that expression!  Dammit, that's _my_ face!_' Youko bristled furiously at the pleading light in her eyes and the way he could see Takeharuka's tense expression soften just enough around the mouth to indicate he was being swayed.  '_Kurama, stop her!  She's not supposed to look at anyone but us with her eyes like that!_'

            _What are you going to do?  Wrestle her to the ground in front of everyone just to scold her about an expression, Fox?_ Hiei questioned in snide amusement even as his brows drew together in a scowl at the same empty feeling radiating from this youkai.  _Another one… Fuck, this is really starting to piss me off_.

            "Wait in the car, miko."

            Despite the severity of the situation and even Youko snarling in the back of his mind, Kurama couldn't help but blink at the clipped bark and glance over at the hybrid dryly, _Well, there's our answer as to why your nasty looks and sparkling personality aren't getting to her.  He's just as conversational and charming as you._

            Kagome balked at the order, chewing on her lip as she glanced at the tense expressions all around, and going beyond to the curious humans observing what they obviously thought was some sort of love-affair soap opera playing out in front of their eyes.  Setting her jaw, she yanked on Sesshoumaru's arm and insisted in a low whisper, "Too many people are watching for you to have this kind of… conversation."

            Sesshoumaru made a faint sound that may have been exasperation, but with his head turned aside as he gave her a push down the sidewalk in the direction of a black sedan, it was hard for them to tell, "No one will be dead when I am finished with them this time… unless they prove to be remarkably foolish.  I will make no promises if their actions earn their demise."

            She made a face, reaching up to poke him in the chest before she leaned up to whisper in his ear so quietly even Kurama and Hiei were straining to catch as much as they could, "Don't think I'm not onto your little word-tricks, you over-confident bastard.  I really mean it, there are too many people here for you to be yourself."

            Hiei observed curiously, tilting his head as he tried to reason out just what this little human girl could possibly have to argue so familiarly and effectively with such a youkai.  His eyes lingered on her hand resting comfortably against his chest where she'd previously been poking at him before subtly checking his friend's reaction to the suggested intimacy between the two, _You may have already lost your 'lover,' Kurama_.  _She looks pretty attached to him_.

            '_Lost her, my ass,_' Youko snorted and brushed that off.'_There's no desire in their eyes, she's mine._'

            "Unless you do as you're told, you'll have more to concern yourself with than my word-tricks," Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow at her, resting one hand on his hip in a casual stance the belied the threat in his words.  "Go."

            Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes, but finally nodded and pushed past him, "You could at least _try_ not to sound like the most obnoxious thing that ever existed since the dawn of time."

            Sesshoumaru's lips actually quirked ever so slightly, glancing at the napkins on the table at the moment with the urge to take one and snap it across her backside just to see how she and these others would react to that, but quelled the juvenile urge with a shake of his head.  Instead, he slanted a look at the kitsune, watching the expressions going through those eyes as he followed Kagome's retreat almost hungrily and informing him easily, "She will do as she's told, kitsune, no matter how intently you stare at the back of her head."

            Kurama glared at Hiei when his friend made a sound in his head that was suspiciously similar to a snicker before folding his arms over his chest and letting his expression lose even the hint of harmless charm he'd stubbornly held in Kagome's presence, "What the hell are you?"

            Sesshoumaru's sigh seemed to come from his toes as he turned his back on them and started to walk down the sidewalk away from the café, "Come."

            Youko bristled within the confines of Kurama's mind, but he was too curious to deny that high-handed order, and too aware of the human attention they were receiving, '_I'm going to enjoy ripping him away from her and parading our kits where he can smell I got them from Kagome._'

            _Stop getting ahead of yourself and focus on the threat we have in front of us,_ Hiei's words were clipped, wary and despite his best efforts to the contrary, curious to find out which one of the old lords this had to be.

            Yuusuke swore under his breath when they moved past the range of the window, jumping to his feet and throwing a few bills at the table absently to make up to the restaurant for the scene, "Oi… oi!"

            "I am only going to have this conversation a single time, and I will not be held responsible if you do not pay attention," Sesshoumaru informed them without looking back, making sure Kagome had climbed into his car to no-doubt be tirelessly scolded by Jaken as he made a sharp turn into a relatively clean alley and prevent them from pinpointing which vehicle she'd disappeared into.  "As it has come to my attention that despite my instructions for my miko to avoid your company, it is more… difficult for her to be obedient when you undermine my authority to seek her on your own."

            For a moment Kurama was absolutely staggered by his arrogance, the regal toss of the painfully elegant man's head as he turned to face them with amber eyes glaring icy murder at them now that they were away from the prying eyes of humanity.  In that moment, Youko let out a humorless chuckle and took over enough to mimic the pose as he answered tauntingly, "And you think that you're dealing with children, inu?  You've been living too long among humans if you haven't come in contact with a youkai strong enough to stand up to you."

            _Youko, what are you doing? _Kurama demanded when he felt the distinctive chill of rising danger wrap around them, vaguely aware of Yuusuke and Hiei moving into defensive positions behind him.

            '_Relax, Kurama, I'm good at this part,_' Youko assured him easily.  '_I'd wager I'm just as old as this youkai, and unless my senses have completely failed me, this one puts a lot of stock in the old ways.  He's proud and he's used to being the top of the food chain in his world.  Let's shake him up a bit before we steal her out from under him._'

            Sesshoumaru's hand snapped out, closing around Kurama's throat and lifting him up onto his toes as he studied the unchanged expression on the kitsune's face with open disdain.  He didn't bother to lift his eyes as he addressed the other two calmly, "Move and he dies."

            Youko couldn't stop himself from chuckling again at the absolute authority in the smooth voice, the effortless menace he exuded, '_Oh yes, I understand this youkai…_'

            He returned to his study of the kitsune resting calm and docile under his potentially fatal hold, twisting the inhumanly beautiful face from side to side as he studied those currently amber eyes locked on him just as bland as his own.  Finally the hand tightened a fraction against his throat as Sesshoumaru growled his discovery, "An avatar."

            Hiei jolted in surprise at the archaic term, even more when Kurama's lips spread into a wide grin and let his canines slowly sharpen, "Well, well… you _are _old, aren't you."

            Sesshoumaru released his throat with a snort of disgust, the palm of his hand glowing bright green as his poison burned the feel of his skin off him, "How utterly distasteful."

            _Youko, what the hell are you doing?_ Hiei demanded testily.

            "I will not permit such a creature to harass my miko," he informed him lazily, curling his fingers slowly until his hand was held in a loose fist.  "Kagome is meant for a better thing than something slowly devouring the human flesh it created to protect its soul and recreate itself.  You're a parasite in your own body, kitsune, and I will not pave the way for you to bring the same poison to her."

            "You say that so seriously," Youko lifted a hand to rest a fingertip against his throat, closing his eyes with a low sigh.  "And so insultingly," his eyes opened to meet his opponent with a dark edge.  "I am a creative survivor, inu… much the way you must be to have lived so long and undetected on this plane as well."

            _A parasite?_ Kurama frowned in confusion at the description.

            '_I'll explain later,_' Youko assured him.  '_We allowed certain rumors to circulate about some of our more involved… gifts._'

            "Kitsunes," Sesshoumaru made a disparaging sound in the back of his throat, displaying his distaste with the breed he'd been forced to involve himself with time after time.  "You will remove your presence from my lands or I will do it for you.  My promise extends to the end of this meeting and no longer."

            Youko opened his mouth to retort when a thought struck him and he clamped it shut again, crossing one arm over his chest to cup the other elbow in his hand, turning that arm up and taking the tip of his forefinger between his teeth, '_Oh suddenly I feel wicked…_'

            Kurama felt a curl of anxiety begin in his chest, _Youko?_

            _'Trust me on this,_' he absently reassured him, cocking their head to let the slow smirk cross his lips.  '_Didn't think I'd use it again, but it will take the threat out from under him._'

            _What will?_ Kurama nearly growled himself at the half-answer.  _Dammit, Youko, answer me!_  

"I'd like to formally request an audience to the controlling youkai of this region," he drawled out smugly, even more so when he saw the way Takeharuka's chin tilted up, eyes flashing with his annoyance.  "An introductory meeting, if you will… considering my ignorance to the current hierarchy.  Or would you deny me the chance to correct such an oversight?"

            "Audience?" Yuusuke repeated, confused at the vibes bouncing back and forth between Takeharuka and Kurama, but with Hiei standing back out of the confrontation, he was loathe to step in between them lest he disrupt some weird youkai thing he didn't understand.

            "It's old etiquette," Hiei muttered quickly to shut him up, inwardly chuckling at the obvious "win" his friend had scored with his request if the tightly restrained violence in Takeharuka's eyes was any indication.  "Honor and pride between higher bloodlines."  _He's going to kill you for putting him in a corner, Fox_.

            _He's going to try,_ Kurama nodded in agreement, almost rolling his eyes at the way he could feel Youko loving every minute of the silent battle of wills with a youkai on his same level.  

            '_Oh I do love this little miko,_' Youko slowly licked his lips, watching the faint pulse of stripes across Takeharuka's cheeks until he got the telling flicker under control and reached into his tailored jacket.  '_She has brought so very many enjoyable things to my fingertips since we've decided to pursue her.  I'd forgotten how much fun it was to piss off lords like this before I met them professionally._'

            Sesshoumaru pulled his hand out of the inner pocket, a plain business card held between his middle and ring fingers as he held it out to the preening, self-satisfied kitsune, "Savor your victory for the time being, kitsune, it is the only one you will have involving this Sesshoumaru."

            Youko's smile froze on his face, the card forgotten in his fingers as he looked up to see the flicker of a crescent shiver across Takeharuka's forehead, '_Sesshoumaru?!_'

            _Who?_ Kurama tensed at the new and previously never before experienced rush of emotion and adrenaline surging from his other half, unaware of just what about that name had set him off so completely.

            When Sesshoumaru stepped forward, Youko and Hiei moved back to clear a path instinctively, bringing a faintly amused smirk to his sculpted lips as he turned to seize Kurama's throat yet again and lift him up for his cold perusal a second time, "Do not dishonor my invitation with your… _other_ form.  You will appear to me as this avatar or not at all, am I understood?"

            "Perfectly," Youko's eyes narrowed, wanting to deny the "request" but aware that he'd exhausted his options for the moment on demands considering all he'd been obligated to agree with was the meeting.

            He released Kurama again, nodding his head in approval before practically gliding out of the alley with his silent grace, turning to glance back and offer as an afterthought, "Your human companion will lead you to the appropriate location in one week's time."

            Kurama frowned in mild confusion, "Which human companion?"

            That eyebrow kicked up again, mocking him for the uncertainty in his voice in a way that had Youko inwardly mumbling about his cheap intimidation tactics and something about a superiority complex, "I was under the impression that there was only one human you were friendly with under my employment?  A human named Kurabara?"

            _He knows?_ Hiei's spine went stiff at the implication, the veiled threat in those brutal eyes that shook their tenuous belief that they were beginning to understand what was happening.  _What the fuck is going on here!?_

            Chuckling softly at their obvious anxiety, he inclined his head in a particularly mocking fashion before turning his searching gaze to the street for the circling vehicle, "You have permission to roam my lands temporarily.  Do not abuse my good nature by going where you are not welcomed."

            _He's warning us to stay away from Kagome,_ Kurama's hands fisted at his sides, everything about this man rubbing him the wrong way, and with Youko's odd, unexplained behavior, he was feeling decidedly more irritable than usual.

            '_Actually, the sneaky fuck is making it a condition,_' Youko corrected with a grudging note of respect.  '_He's a strategist… damn good one too, letting us think we won, but still turning it around to his favor._'

            "And tell your… employer that I am tired of his amateur investigations," Sesshoumaru continued in a bland tone.  "I detest the attention being placed on my family, and my patience will soon be exhausted."

            _Sonofabitch!_ Hiei's eyes narrowed sharply at that disturbing indication that he knew far more about what was going on then they did, taking up more aggressive stances with Kurama and Yuusuke.

Sesshoumaru reveled in their alarmed expressions behind his stoic mask, walking away as he offered his final, parting dig, "But do thank him for the fine worker I have found in his pet human.  However… it would be most disturbing to find that something… _untoward_ had befallen him in the event that you were unable to respect the boundaries I have set regarding certain things that belong to me."

"If Kurabara-" Yuusuke started, scowling darkly when he made a motion with his hand to arrogantly cut him off.

"The human is safe for now," Sesshoumaru's voice held no emotion as he smoothed imaginary wrinkles from his coat and pulled out a cell phone, dismissing their presence the farther he moved away.  "Do not bring my miko into this and do not miss your appointment.  I will not grant an audience to you again."__


	21. Insult to Injury

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Ugh… Another long one.  LOL, I know I probably won't really get complaints out of that, but still, once it gets past a certain number of pages I can't help but feel that people will be tuning out by the ending.  ^__~  Easily distracted by sparkly things, you know.  Wasn't even intending to post this early either, but well, it got done ahead of time, so why not?  -giggles-  

As always, to my darling reviewers and my rabid junkies, you're wonderful and fabulous.  It's so much fun to read your ideas and thoughts on my little gift-fic, and it makes me look forward to posting.  I adore you all more than you know.  –bows and blows kisses-

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Insult to Injury~

            Sesshoumaru hadn't said a single word to her since joining her in the backseat of his car, sitting with an elbow braced on the door to put his hand at the right level for supporting his chin to make it that much easier to stare at her in subtle reprimand.  She fidgeted under the piercing attention, forgoing the seatbelt despite the addition disapproval it brought down on her head in favor of holding her knees tucked into her chest.  She tilted her head to one side, resting her cheek on her knee as she went back over everything that had happened since entering the Urameshi house.

            Her brows drew together, wrapping her arms around her knees and staring out at the path towards the main house, _It can't be a coincidence that I heard someone speaking to me… calling me that name the same day I meet two youkai and, well, whatever that Yuusuke boy rates as. And then they end up asking me about Onigumo…_

            Kagome blew out a sigh as the ache started at the base of her skull, stretching her legs out and folding her arms behind her head as they turned the tree-lined drive to the gate, "I didn't mean to run into him, Sesshoumaru, but it's better that I did."

            "Is that so?"

            She shifted her weight enough to switch her headrest to the window, taking comfort in the cool glass against her overheated skin, "We may have a problem."

            Sesshoumaru waited until Jaken had maneuvered them past the enchanted boundary, glancing back to habitually search for any imperfections or weaknesses to his defenses before he broke his current silence to demand, "What disrupted your senses before I reached you?"

She couldn't help but smile at his actions, comforted by his unaltered fixation with protecting his lands, "They asked me a question I wasn't expecting to hear."  She glanced back out the window, not wanting to see his expression when she expounded on that in a carefully even tone, "They asked me if I had ever heard of Onigumo."

            "The revolting human that created Naraku?" Jaken squwaked out in disbelief, craning his head back to peer at her, eyes narrowed in obvious displeasure at the imparted information.  "What would those low born creatures have to do with such an old, vile thing in this time?"

            "Jaken."

            He blanched and turned his eyes forward again, "Forgive your humble servant, Sesshoumaru-sama.  I was merely-"

            "Silence," he growled in an off-handed manner, focusing on Kagome's rigid spine in his peripheral vision as he turned over the possibilities in his own mind.  The sound of earth and stone crunched softly under the slow turn of tires as Jaken coaxed the vehicle forward again, using the sound almost meditatively to buffer the images and memories forcefully recalled to sift through with painstaking care.

            "To give them credit, they looked surprised that I knew it," her fingers clenched into a tighter fist, setting her jaw against a wave of self-disgust.  "I… was caught off guard."

            Sesshoumaru made a low, indecipherable sound in the back of his throat, "There is no need for you to be so consumed with making excuses for their actions.  This Sesshoumaru will not place unnecessary blame on the kitsune and his companions simply because they irritate me with their existence."

            "You still want to kill them," Kagome couldn't help but sound put out at that little piece of truth, in spite of his emotionless expression and carefully bland eyes, she knew it was eating away at his instincts, could feel it coloring the very air around his disguised body.

            "You are reverting to your old habit of voicing perfectly obvious things to cover your anxiety over your impending punishment," he pointed out without the slightest inflection.

            _There is something so completely screwed up in my head if I relax when I hear him speaking to me like this,_ she rolled her eyes at her own twisted instincts, but gave up on trying to convince herself to get pissed off when she had more important things to worry about than a taiyoukai's arrogance.  "We don't have a reason to kill them, you know," she said instead, leaning her head back on the upholstery to watch his lip curl so subtly it was gone before she knew it.  

            Sesshoumaru's eyebrow kicked up in silent challenge.

"Trespassing isn't enough anymore, and aren't you even a little curious about who they are if you've never seen-?" Kagome trailed off and pushed herself up to twist towards him with an accusing growl.  "_That_ reminds me…  Why didn't you tell me you knew about them?  You wave to their kids for crying out loud!"

"This Sesshoumaru has no excuse for neglecting to get clarification," he said quietly after a moment, catching the way Jaken frowned in the reflection of the rearview mirror.  "Given my experience with your ability to find yourself in the worst possible scenario, it is an oversight that I will make allowances for when deciding how you will be disciplined."

_Lord of the most elaborate "my fault" known to man and youkai_, Kagome had to bite her lip to keep that thought to herself, but it was enough that he would make the effort instead of just ignoring her.  "Their kids need to be seen by your specialists before they find a human doctor who starts asking too many questions," she folded her arms over her chest.  "They have enough of the blood."

"Suggesting we announce ourselves to the Urameshi family."

"How bad could it be?" she shrugged and insisted.  "It's not like they wouldn't understand, Sesshoumaru, they know what they are and what they can do.  Ryou and Toushi even asked me what my special attack was."

She actually got an eye-roll out of him with that remark and let out an errant giggle when he turned a flat glare down at her, "Was that supposed to be amusing, miko?"

"I bet you hate video games too, don't you?"

"Useless noise and cheap hypnotism for the weak minds of humans," he scoffed at the suggestion.

"Shippou plays them, doesn't he?"

"You will speak with him to correct this."

Kagome couldn't resist flashing an absolutely dazzling smile at the hidden edge of disgruntlement and reaching out to curl her hand over his knee affectionately, "It's not so bad, is it?  They don't have the chance to fight like that for real the way you or I did, and it helps keep them entertained for a while."

"They are pedantic and unimaginative-" Sesshoumaru's brows lowered and he turned a deeper scowl on her.  "Do not trick this Sesshoumaru into arguing about such childish things as human games."

             "You must have bitten through your tongue a hundred times a day without someone you trusted to vent to with as much as you like doing it," she gave him a squeeze, completely unrepentant at giving him an outlet for the humming tension she could still feel in his aura.  "But I'll stop avoiding the subject if you promise not to kill them on sight."

            "I have already promised this," he reached out and hooked a finger under her chin to force her eyes to meet his.  "Onigumo is dead, miko.  Naraku is destroyed.  There is no reason for these fears to continue to plague you."

            "Why are they asking about him now though?" she reached up and grasped his wrist, unaware of just how much comfort she took through physical contact.  "Where did _they_ hear his name?"

            "They will have time to answer before I decide if I am going to kill them or not," Sesshoumaru assured her loftily, releasing her chin but still allowing her to hang onto him as her eyes darkened with racing thoughts.  "Takashima has sided with me on the need to remove them from this existence."

            Kagome blinked in confusion, tilting her head and repeating, "Shippou-?  But why would he-?"

            "Something about pants and roses," he brushed it aside carelessly.  "He was nearly incoherent during the call he made to me, however, it may have been mistranslated.  His most pressing concern was that his sister would be in the company of several creatures that did not meet with my approval."

            _Pants and roses?_ Kagome's eyebrow kicked up at the bizarre remark, running her hand absently down her own leg as she wondered if he meant something about her stealing his clothes.  But what was the rose thing about, and-?  "Hey, didn't you tell me you were going to be in council?"

            "That annoying kitsune demanded Sesshoumaru-sama cut his pleasure short to return and see to you before these vagrant youkai had the chance to kidnap you for unhealthy purposes," Jaken piped up from his seat, courage restored enough to bring about his participation.  "It would be a great inconvenience were we to lose you during council, Kagome-sama.  Unforgivable even!"

            "That's something else, actually," Kagome broke in before Sesshoumaru could scold the little toad youkai for rambling so dramatically.  "The kitsune… Kurama… he didn't know me.  I could feel his youki, and he was trying to get under my skin, definitely, but… not that way."

            "Yet they are asking of Onigumo and things which pertain to that damnable rock," Sesshoumaru frowned as he started to muse over the inconsistencies of these youkai.  "Perhaps then, it truly has been fortuitous that you were unable to restrain your need to be rebellious.  It remains to be seen."

            "You have to admit it's fishy," Kagome shook her head.  "Not to mention just plain odd.  Most youkai that old know the rumors, and Naraku, and all… that."

            "Knowing a miko was involved and putting any credence into the words of humans are two entirely separate instances to a youkai," he informed her as the walls of the inner compound came into view, shifting his weight in preparation to exit the car.  "And we did not exactly discourage the misinformation regarding your identity after the jewel showed it's avaricious nature and removed you from us."

            "It wants to touch him," Kagome admitted softly, her eyes wary for any sort of reactions from the taiyoukai at her side.

            "It or you?"

            Kagome's face flamed, hunching her shoulders and turning away from the knowing look in those amused amber eyes, "I'm only human."

            "Lying to yourself will not change the truth, miko," Sesshoumaru lifted a hand, brushing his fingertips across the pale pink markings burned into his otherwise flawless skin.  "Besides, the smell of him lingers on you in very… specific places.  You did not think this Sesshoumaru would be unable to detect it, did you?"

            "I hoped you wouldn't say anything," she gritted her teeth against the rise of embarrassment.

            "He is not for you," Sesshoumaru's hand came down on her shoulder and squeezed, determined to convey the severity behind his words.

            "You don't think anyone is for me," Kagome shook her head, glancing back at him and letting him see the amusement in her eyes.  "You want me to live out the rest of my life doing nothing but answering to you and listening to your griping because I'm the only person you can act like this to who won't ruin your image."

            "An enviable position for a creature such as yourself."

            "You're going to suffocate on your own arrogance someday, and Tenseiga will let you stay dead," she predicted, turning her nose up at a haughty angle.

            "Then you would have to become accustomed to life in the Makai, miko," Sesshoumaru informed her with perfect confidence.

            "And why is that?" Kagome automatically put her hand in his when the car rolled to a stop and he pushed open the door to guide them out into the open air.

            "Were something to occur on this level of existence that banished me to the other realm, I have no doubts that you would soon be joining me," he shot Jaken a look that had the other youkai bow and retreat in a rush to give them a few moments of privacy.  "Just as I had no such doubts when you vanished from Sengoku Jidai.  It was merely a matter of waiting until _when_ you would return home."

            Kagome's head tilted to one side in automatic reflex to her confusion before she vocalized it, "I don't understand how you can be so sure of things like that-" _when_ _I wasn't sure… When I was in the void, I didn't know where it was going to spit me back out, and then there was wondering if anyone had lived…_

            "Your name seals your fate to me."

             Kagome knew she had to have the blankest look on her face, especially if the faint smirk that twisted his own was any indication as she demanded, "_What_ are you talking about?"  _My name?_

            Sesshoumaru held out his hand to her again, waiting until she had taken it with a skeptical glare until he guided her around the perimeter of the gate to the western side, and turning look out across the horizon as the miko shifted impatiently beside him.  He drew in a deep breath to take in all the scents around him, assuring himself that nothing out of the ordinary was skulking around to eavesdrop on what was a highly private conversation, "The books you had given me contained writing belonging to you… writing that contained your name more often than not."

            "It's customary to write your name on school work, and I'm sure you know that by now," Kagome was giving him looks that indicated she was starting to worry for his mental state.  Maybe there really _was_ some sort of kitsune overload, and the taiyoukai had only needed that brief contact with another after extended time with Shippou to push him over the edge?

            "The strokes for your last name indicated a different meaning than I had anticipated," he continued calmly, waiting for the parallel to draw itself in her mind and nodded a single time when he saw her eyes widen.  "A meaning that was given to your shrine."

            "Higure- Sunset," Kagome started to recite the answer, the meaning of the beginning character she had seen forming her name all her life in a whisper, unaware that she'd spoken until Sesshoumaru gave her a single nod of acknowledgement.         

"No matter where the sun goes in its travels, miko, the home of the Sunset has always been and will always remain the Western Lands."

            _Sunset… and Sesshoumaru has always been the taiyoukai of the Western Lands_, Kagome's lips parted on a sound of understanding.

            "Hence, this Sesshoumaru has always known that when night comes, you will return," amber eyes speared into her, ancient knowledge and unbreakable control pouring into the center of her being to smooth out the remaining agitation.  "And you will always acknowledge that you belong to the west and its master."

            Kagome stared up at him silently for a long time, her eyes dark with the rapidly passing thoughts of what could have happened if this stoic youkai hadn't seen fit to involve himself in their battles.  At the least she would have lost her sanity… and most, her soul, _I'm probably lucky that inus get possessive… I wouldn't have lasted if he didn't feel responsible._

            "You know, Sesshoumaru… that's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me," Kagome broke the silence with a soft smile, turning to look out across the horizon where the sun would indeed make its descent as the day wore on until it came to rest in the protective embrace of its keeper.  _How long did it take him to think of that?  …Why didn't I?  I could have seen it so long ago-_

            "This Sesshoumaru will deny it in its entirety."

            Kagome burst out laughing and looked up at him, "Except the master part?"

            "That is a previous, understood statement that will still stand despite my denial of our current discussion," he nodded crisply, turning on his heel to make his way back the way they had come, anticipating that she would follow along.

            "Jackass."

            "Disrespect will increase the degree of your impending punishment, miko, do not think I find you completely blameless in this morning's fiasco," he warned her with no more emotion than if he were discussing an insignificant memo.  "It is partially your fault that kitsune thought to demand audience."

            "Now how are you going to pin that on me?" Kagome protested as he reached out and effortlessly pulled the massive gate open, ducking under his arm to enter the courtyard before he pulled it closed again.  "_I _don't even know how to demand an audience."

            "Stop making yourself appealing to strange males," he snorted at her as the spell around him shimmered and melted away.  "I have had centuries to learn how damnably persistent kitsunes can be in pursuit of things they desire, and if you cannot convince him to turn his… affections elsewhere, we'll be dealing with him until he either 'wins' in his own mind, or he gets bored and moves on."

            "Don't hold your breath," Shippou's muttering growl drew their gazes up to where their own kitsune was sitting on the porch of the main house, a dark scowl on his face and sitting in a classic "Inuyasha" pose with arms and legs folded as a… a… thorned vine wriggled and twined itself through his shredded clothes in a serpentine fashion.  "I'd say he's in it for the long haul."

            "Good gods, Shippou!" Kagome's eyes widened, trying to process the sight of the disgruntled boy without a single illusion spell, tails and hair fanned out around him while his eyes seemed to snap with agitation.  "What happened to you?!"

            "Your _lover_," he drawled out flatly, reaching into his shirt to pull out a folded paper and wiggle it in her direction, "as he _insists_ on calling himself, just so happens to have a specialty that involves not only regular things that grow, Nee-san, but he also has a sizeable collection of nasty things that are only found in the layers of Makai."

            "Damn kitsunes," Sesshoumaru growled and shook his head, turning to pin Kagome with his disapproving glare.  "Handle this.  I have lords to see to for the duration of the council, and in light of recent occurrences, you are not to leave this complex.  Am I understood?"

            She nodded distractedly, brows furrowed as she started forward only to have Sesshoumaru squeeze her shoulder again to encourage a more direct response, "Yes, I heard you, Sesshoumaru-_sama_.  I won't leave the compound until the council's over, and I'll take care of the pissy kitsune camped out on the porch as soon as you let go of my shoulder."

            Sesshoumaru leaned down and murmured in her ear, "You are above taking your frustration with admiring creatures out on this Sesshoumaru."

            Kagome's cheeks turned pink and she subsided with a grumble.

            "If this other kitsune has command of plants to the extent your brother is suggesting, do not let your guard down in extricating him from that creature," he warned her as he straightened, giving her a nudge away from him as the curls of winds and clouds began to form around his feet.  "Plant life from the Makai is sentient and rarely friendly to things that could be a potential food source."

            She nodded in understanding, heaving a sigh as she reached out to touch the back of his hand briefly, "Thank you for coming to get me."

            Sesshoumaru nodded and turned his face up to the sky, "I will return at the end of the week to tend to you, miko, and to inform you of the punishment I select.  If you look to be in ill-health by that time, I will be even more displeased."

            "Try not to kill anyone you don't want to bring back," Kagome smiled affectionately, squeezing him once before she obediently stepped away and folded her arms over her chest.  "And if you need me-"

            "You will know it if this Sesshoumaru requires use of you," there was a gleam in his eyes to show that he knew his wording would irritate her, a low chuckle rumbling out of his throat as he pushed up with his intrinsic grace to rise into the air and vanish across the sky back towards the heart of the city.

            Kagome continued to glare after him, swearing under her breath until she heard a distinctive clearing of a throat and turned to see Shippou pointing at the vine that had yet to release him, "Now just how the hell did you get yourself wrapped up in plants, Shippou?  You should know how to spot a trap by another kitsune."

            "I couldn't!  They were waiting for me!" he whined out over-exaggeratingly now that Sesshoumaru was far enough away to not overhear his complaints and bids for open affection from Kagome.  "I was fighting that short bastard and we were having a good time, but he's a sore loser.  As soon as I started to win he got nasty and told me that his friend was going after you.  So I went back to the house and as soon as I stepped out of my ring, they just snapped out and tried to eat me!"

            Kagome's lips pursed, blowing out a deeper sigh and shaking her head as she warily circled the pouting kitsune, nudging his tails with a foot to get him to swish the appendages aside for her to seat herself and reach out for the closest little vine, "What are they?"

            "_It_ split off from the others when I got out and refused to let go.  But it won't bloom for me, so I can't tell you the exact line.  It was inside a pretty tricky net he made out of some sort of roses, I think," Shippou grumbled as the tail end of the vines turned up towards her open palm curiously.  "It's smart and it makes noise whenever I try to pull it off…   Little shit, look what it did to my clothes!" he finished plaintively and pointed to himself.

            "So it's sharp?" she held her hand perfectly still as the ends unwound and stretched up to start curling around her skin, tasting her aura when she let it open enough to let it.

            "Can be," he waited tensely as the vines started to loosen, brows drawn down low as he readied himself to stop them in case the thing attacked her.  "Right now it's waiting for something, but it won't tell me-" 

            Shippou choked off when the plant abruptly let out a high-pitched squeal the moment it pressed across her entire palm and flung him off the end of the porch, wrapping more firmly across Kagome's wrist to keep that end close to her.  

Kagome watched in awe as the separate vines retracted from Shippou with dizzying speed down into a single piece with numerous little tendrils all reaching out to her as that first piece had done.  As soon as it seemed to fully reform, the extensions reversed themselves and suddenly wound up her arm, twining around and around her skin until they were satisfied and settled down with a strange noise that sounded like, "Gods, is it purring?"

            "Fucking hell, you little bastard, just wait until I get my claws on you!" Shippou was fuming as he pushed himself up, gingerly touching the oozing gashes across his chest that had ripped the last fully intact section of fabric.  "This was one of my favorite shirts!"

            "Shippou!" Kagome raised her voice to cut through his ranting, holding her arm up away from her body as she tilted her head to better hear the grumbling sound the spiraling vines were emitting.  "Slightly more important than a shirt here," she arched an eyebrow and gestured to the trade-off.

            Shippou blinked and looked up, eyes going wide and the color leeching from his cheeks when he saw the way it was trying to braid their ends together to lock itself in place, bounding up and grabbing her wrist, "No, no, no!  Let go!  Dammit, drop her!  She's not a kitsune!  Drop her, right now!"

            Kagome opened her mouth to demand why he was scolding the plant like a recalcitrant puppy when it shifted and reared up, a single blood-red blossom curling open to reveal a line of little razor teeth before they sunk into Shippou's forearm, "Hey!"

            Shippou let out a hiss, gripping the stem with his other hand and continuing his efforts to jerk it off Kagome as he muttered more to himself, "Oh, so _now_ you'll talk to me.  Little brat, I don't care what he said, she's not a toy-"

            "Enough!" Kagome slammed her free hand down hard against the wood at her side, startling both kitsune and flower into pausing their tug-of-war to look at her curiously.  "I can't believe I'm about to have this conversation," she reached up and rubbed at her temples with a deep sigh before pointing at Shippou.  "Stop yanking on it before either you get hurt, or it gets hurt, and don't argue with me.  I don't feel any threat from the thing just yet, and if I did it would be purified before it had a chance to do anything."

            Shippou set his jaw mutinously, "But-"

            "Let go of Shippou," Kagome ignored him, frowning hard at the plant and calling herself seven different types of a fool for thinking just telling them like that would work until she felt its youki reluctantly start to withdraw.  

The deep hued petals closed to a little bud and twined back around her before extending up to rub apologetically under her chin with what was definitely a whine.  Kagome was left staring at Shippou in a rather dazed way, trying hard to compose herself and keep her voice calm and even as her eyebrow started to twitch and she murmured, "Shippou, honey, you have two minutes to explain what in the hell just happened, or I'm going to kick your ass."

            He winced slightly at that tone of voice, considering his clearest memories of it were right before the miko had either performed some sort of maiming attack or busted Inuyasha into the ground hard enough to stop even the vilest of curses from coming out of his mouth, "Ah… I…"

            "There is a thing that looks like some twisted mix of a rose and a shark _purring_ and rubbing up on me like Buyo, Shippou," she cut him off, taking a deep breath and reorienting herself against the urge to just zap them both and be done with it.  "That not only just did what I said, but you claim is speaking to you and used to be wrapped around you from a trap set by Kurama at the Urameshi house- where you _knew_ they had been seen, I should add…  So, I repeat.  What in the _hell_ is going on here?"

            "This isn't just about the rose, is it?" Shippou fidgeted slightly under her increasingly irritated scowl and tried tentatively.

            "I should have stayed with Sesshoumaru," Kagome groaned and dropped her head into her hands, almost wanting to cry when she felt the vines pat her on the back in what they thought was a comforting manner.  "At least when I'm with him I know exactly why I'm going to feel like banging my head against the wall."

            "But he's stuffy," Shippou pointed out, glaring at the rose for hissing at him when he reached out to touch her knee. 

            "Why is it doing that?" Kagome's shoulders slumped, exhaustion setting in rapidly as her body and mind got tired of trying to process every surprise of the morning, from the malevolent voice all the way down to this living flower that gave every indication it was dead set on guarding her from Shippou, of all people.  It was just too much, too fast, and she was ready to put it aside for the rest of the day, _Or week… or even the rest of the month.  That would be nice.  Damn, my head hurts._

            "I'm the 'wrong' kitsune," Shippou answered her in an offended tone.  "It's an old trick, Nee-san, using what you know to put up safeguards and that kind of thing around someone you want to be with, but can't protect personally.  This is a bit extreme though.  And no, humans like their pets and flowers separate, so you _aren't_ a perfect gift," he stuck his tongue out at the flower when it shuffled and growled at him.  "Oh my gods, you're more arrogant than Big Dog, and you don't even have the hands to back that threat up, you-!"

            "Shippou, please?" Kagome lifted her head and gave him an exasperated look.  "As amusing as it is to hear you threaten a…" she trailed off and looked down at the bud that turned to "look" back up at her, "whatever you are, but- forget it, that's not the point.  _I_ don't understand what's going back and forth between you two, and I'm getting a headache trying to figure out how exactly this day went off the deepest end of fucked up in less than six hours."

            "Sorry, Kagome," he flopped down on the step below her, resting his chin on her knee the way he used to do when he was a child and puffing up when it brought a smile to her face.  "I didn't think he had anything like this, and I shouldn't have left you alone in the first place, but Sesshoumaru doesn't know these guys as much as you probably think he does.  We didn't want to risk them making a grab at you before we knew why they were lurking around."

            "That's for the youkai-bred flowers to handle?" she drawled out with dry sarcasm that had him rubbing the back of his head nervously.

            "It's different.  It doesn't want to hurt you," Shippou promised her with a weary sigh, sitting up and drumming his fingertips on his blood-smeared thigh.  "It keeps saying it's a gift... well, when it's not being rude, but it likes how you feel and says you're pretty."

            "Of course it does, it's a youkai," Kagome shrugged that off, reaching up to stroke her hand over the surprisingly soft petals opening under her touch, trying not to think about the fact that it was more or less trying to lock itself onto her.  Or that the color matched a certain kitsune she was trying hard not to be thinking about, "Why is it holding onto me?"

            "So you don't get into trouble," Shippou snorted as he relayed the message and shook his head.  "Maybe you should explain that Sesshoumaru will melt it if it can't make itself scarce or tries to snap at him."

            "Gods, that's all I need," Kagome rolled her eyes and stood, raking her hand through her hair and biting back a string of curses when the rose let go in favor of winding itself carefully through the thick mass.

            "It says it knows how to stay out of the way, but Kurama was very specific about making sure you were kept safe at all times," Shippou repeated, trotting after her as she stalked off towards the kitchen.  "It says he likes you a lot."

            _No kidding, _she made a sound of irritation, recalling just how much they had been "liking" each other when he caught her off-guard with that unbelievable kiss.

            "And he's never given anyone he liked anything like one of his special roses before," he continued, frowning at the smug air the plant gave off as Kagome's steps grew softer and more thoughtful.  "It's- damn you!  I'm not translating to make it easier for your kitsune to seduce my sister!"

            The rose made a wheezing sound that she attributed to laughter, especially when Shippou fairly snarled in answer and dragged a weary sigh out of her, "I'm ignoring you both."

            "Don't do that, it started it!" Shippou hurried to match pace with her through the hallway, hopping around in front of her and walking backwards to catch her eyes.  "C'mon, Kagome, I'm too cute to be ignored, you know I am."

            "That worked when you were a kit, Shippou, I don't fall for your squishy eyes anymore," she gave him an arch look that was much too reminiscent of Sesshoumaru for his peace of mind.

            "I can make you dinner," he tried to bribe, watching for some sign he was getting through her stress to help her unwind.

            "I can make my own ramen," Kagome frowned when she felt her hair being lightly tugged, picking out the rhythm and shaking her head when she realized it was entertaining itself by braiding.

            "I'll let you keep my pants."

            She snorted, but the way her eyes had started to gleam told him he was getting closer to taking her mind off the crash of events she'd endured in such a short span of time, "You aren't getting them back anyway."

            "That's not fair," he whined out miserably.  "I like those pants."

            "I do too."

            Shippou pouted, folding his arms and wracking his brain for that last nudge he needed to get her really smiling again, coming to a complete stop when the thought finally struck him, "Oi."

            Kagome's brows lifted, pausing in her search for food at the wicked light that had entered those bright blue eyes, "What now?  I'm tired, I'm hungry, and now I have a rose thing playing with my hair while it's telling you how much Kurama 'likes' me… Don't you think I have enough to stress me out at the-"

            "Wanna fight?"

~*~*~*~

            "Yuusuke, I'm sorry, but you really can't go in there right now!" Botan held her hands up in a placating gesture, shrinking back against the door to Koenma's office under the three dark scowls being sent her way from the most dangerous members of their little team.  "Koenma-sama is with the director of records, a guardian deity… it would be a terrible insult for you to disrupt them!"

            "That's too damn bad," Yuusuke reached past her for the handle again, frowning sharply when she grabbed his wrist.  "Let go, Botan, I ain't in the mood to play around anymore, not for a guy even Youko's afraid of."

            _'For the last time, I was _surprised, _not scared,_' Youko growled out irritably at the obtuse man.  '_Sesshoumaru is _the_ taiyoukai of the Western Lands, carried the title through the barriers forming and everything.  He deserves more respect than just some random bastard wandering by, but I don't get how someone of his age and power managed to make it through without setting off any bells and whistles.  And why does he want my lover?_'

            _For all you know, you want _his_ lover_, Hiei reminded him, slowly recovering from his own shock under the disgruntlement the kitsune was being forced to suffer for his knee-jerk reaction to hearing the name the youkai called himself.  _And for all we know, that's not the real Sesshoumaru.  By every report, he's seen regularly patrolling his lands in Makai, and if he's Takeharuka that wouldn't work.  He can't be in two places at once even if he is that taiyoukai_.

            _'I don't know, any time anyone has tried to get one over on him, he turns around and does something that no one thinks any youkai should be capable of,_' Youko made a face, his thoughts turning inward as he went over everything he knew of Sesshoumaru or remembered being said in the more trustworthy circles.

            _You tried to steal from him before, didn't you? _Kurama rubbed his head to dispel the growing ache when Yuusuke simply grasped Botan by the upper arms and bodily lifted her out of the way to open Koenma's door for their entrance.

            '_Tried nothing,_' Youko snorted.  '_I _did_ steal from him, but it was just for show.  Nothing valuable._'

            _How do you know?_ Hiei demanded.

            _'It was just a tiny little thing… actually, now that I think of it… it looked kinda like a keychain, but that can't be right.  Wrong time period for those,_' Youko frowned slightly as he sifted back through memories for the article he'd stolen from the legendary Sesshoumaru.  '_Oh well, it looked like one of those charms you get at a shrine or something… can't remember what it said._'

            _That's helpful,_ Hiei rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath about thieves and shiny objects as they brushed past the stammering Botan in time to see Koenma grabbed by the front of his shirt and lifted off his feet by a woman wearing a simple black and violet kimono, glossy hair tied off with a dark ribbon near the small of her back.

            "Those were loaned to you with the solemn promise nothing would happen to them, Koenma!" she hissed out furiously, shaking him once before dumping him unceremoniously to his desk and lifting her fist threateningly.  "I knew I shouldn't have listened to my idiot husband when you asked for-!"

            "Are we interrupting?" Kurama called out when he got a sense that this human-spirit woman was just getting started in her verbal and –more amusingly- less verbal assaults.

            '_We could have watched longer and it would have been just as fun,'_ Youko pointed out with a faint moping tone.  '_Look how scared he is of her!_'

            _We have more important things to worry about, Youko,_ Kurama reminded him.

            "Not at all," the woman answered calmly as she glanced back, eyes almost as red as Hiei's taking them in and dismissing them as not enough of a threat to bother with in her current temper.  She set her hand on her hip and turned a sharp glare on the cornered looking man, "You're just in time to watch your boss get his new body ripped apart for losing my _files!_"

            "Sango-sama, please!" Koenma rolled away from her in a rush when she reached for him again, coming to his feet beside his desk and trying to ward her off with frantic hand motions.  "I'll find them, I swear I will!  It never left this room, it has to be here somewhere!  Give me more time-"

            "Lose something important again?" Yuusuke snorted in amusement and cut into the increasingly incoherent rambles, folding his arms and reveling in the sight of the fuming woman cracking half-gloved knuckles and following their oftentimes-obnoxious employer with murder in her eyes.

            "My husband's history records," Sango answered, flicking her hand and reaching out to grab Koenma by the back of the neck and flatten him to the floor with that subduing hold when he tried to dart past her again.  "Oh no you don't, you overgrown weasel!  I've spent lifetimes catching youkai and little hanyou pups, you aren't going to sneak out from under me until you give me what I came for!  You're way past due for the returns we agreed on."

            Yuusuke was snickering openly, rubbing his chin as he regarded the pleading look on Koenma's face as it turned on them, eying the faint smiles on his friend's faces as they held to an unspoken agreement to let him muck through his mistake on his own, "I like this lady."

            _History records… you think it's the pages we took?_ Kurama glanced at Hiei out of the corner of his eye curiously when Yuusuke stopped looking at them, equally loathe to turn away from the sight of the demi-god's torment and possibly miss some of the fun.

            '_Good idea, make Hiei give them back so she doesn't try to beat _us _up_,' Youko grinned widely, lounging in the back of Kurama's mind as he continued to roll around in his morning successes. '_Better to have a woman like that fighting with you_ _instead of against you._'

            Hiei snorted his disgust at the kitsune's behavior, _I am not afraid of a human woman who died long enough ago to hold a position of enough power that Koenma is afraid of earning her displeasure._

'_Still, I'd rather watch her play out that "displeasure" on someone else,_' Youko observed cheerfully.  '_It's a lot more fun that way_.'

            _We _do_ have to put a stop to this eventually if we want to get the answers we want about Sesshoumaru and that Onigumo person,_ Kurama's eyes followed the way that spirit finally seemed to tire of exerting more effort than she needed and stepped on their boss's back.

            '_Fine, fine… distract her.  Ruin our fun._'  

Hiei scoffed at the grumble, but tilted his head and raised his voice in a bid for clarification back along the original topic, "Involving what?"

            "Hm?" Sango glanced up curiously at the question, one foot still pressed against Koenma's back to hold him down as she looked at each of them until determining which one of them had spoken.  "What involving what?"

            "The history that was lost," his brows lowered in annoyance at having to add more to his demand than he wanted to say.  "What did it involve?"

            "Oh, the legends of the taijiya village I came from when I was alive," she shrugged and folded her arms over her chest, scowling down at the crying man she'd pinned to the floor.  "For centuries you've barely spoken to our department, and the first time you do, you ask us for a loan and you _lose_ it!"

            "The Shikon-no-Tama?" Hiei waited until this Sango woman had knelt again, not above letting her throttle and abuse Koenma a little more before he asked the question he was almost positive would bring an end to the scuffle between them. 

Koenma's startled gaze snapped up to them while she went still and seemed to ripple for a moment, her hair twisting up in invisible fingers into a topknot that made Youko frown slightly at the familiarity of that action.  She released the gaping deity, straightening her spine with slow precision and closing one hand into a fist as the sleeves of her kimono seemed to melt back off black, form-fitted sleeves.

"H-how did you-?" Koenma sputtered, pushing himself up and looking up at Sango fearfully.  "Sango-sama, please be calm!  They aren't dangerous youkai, they work for me!"

_Interesting…  Botan said that she was a guardian deity herself, I wonder what kind of distinction she was given if she can alter herself to such a dangerous state, _Hiei tilted his head slightly as her feet slid into a wider, fighting stance.

_More importantly, what can she tell _us_ about it? _Kurama held up his hand in a soothing gesture.  _And where does she fit into all this?_

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to remove those papers from Rekai?" Sango flicked her hand dismissively at Koenma's words, pinning them with a hard glare as she turned it palm up in their direction.  "I want my files and I want them _now_, or I'll start breaking spines."

_Too bad she mentioned a husband, Hiei, she's definitely your type of girl,_ Kurama covered a smile with his hand, giving Yuusuke a nudge to knock him out of his stupor and motion for him to return the pages to the fuming woman.  __

_She's already dead, you idiot, she can only have that type of relationship with another spirit,_ Hiei shot him a dry look, but inwardly chuckled when she snatched the pages away from Yuusuke and started to storm out of the office.

"Just a moment, please?" Kurama hurried to stop her, trying his hardest to keep the desperate edge out of his voice as he instinctively reached out and winced when his hand went through her.

Sango paused, arching an eyebrow at him for the pointless attempt at restraining her, "I _am _technically a ghost, you know.  Now, do you have any idea how busy I am with my files making themselves vanish around the Rekai?  I'm a week behind with processing because of this crap, and _he_-" she pointed angrily at Koenma to emphasize her complaint, "isn't helping with all these questions and demands for files we haven't looked at since we were appointed to our positions.  Especially not to pass out for casual perusal."

"Did he tell you why?" Yuusuke asked, crossing his fingers that she would be angry enough to answer before Koenma could stop her, or at least that he would still be scared enough to stay out of the conversation completely.

Sango let out a disgusted snort, her kimono fading back into place as her hair fell loose again to its original style with her decreasing agitation, "He was stupid enough to approve reincarnation for a 'rehabilitated' soul before he double checked all of the sources for red flags."

"The soul is human and deserves to have-"

"That _human_ decided to recreate history and turned itself into the most dangerous hanyou that ever existed," she growled back in a tone that suggested this wasn't a new argument.  "You knew he did the same thing with Midoriko and again with Kikyou.  We stopped him the last time, and now you're leaving the door wide open for him to find-"

"Sango-sama, I can assure you that my detectives will not allow such a thing to happen again!" Koenma rushed to cut her off and brought scowls to all three of his detectives' faces, clasping his hands behind his back nervously as he squared his shoulders and ignored them. 

_That sonofabitch,_ Hiei's eyes narrowed.  _She was going to tell us._

_Don't worry, Hiei, we'll get our answers one way or another,_ Kurama's lip curled slightly, making sure Koenma could see he was just as displeased with the interference as the hybrid and more willing to show it. 

"They're very good at what they do-" Koenma assured her.

"They'd better be," Sango shook her head, cutting him off as she grabbed the door and yanked it wide open.  "This thing almost destroyed my entire family, succeeded in decimating my entire town and nearly wiping out the taijiya bloodlines completely.  It cursed my husband, tortured my friends, and murdered legions of innocent souls for his own pleasure and ambition.  And you recreated it in a new body in an era that is not prepared to deal with such things."

Koenma swallowed hard under the piercing stares that instantly turned on him, "It won't happen again."

"Arrogance…" she laughed bitterly and stepped through the door, gripping the wood and giving him a cold smile.  "You can't predict the actions of a brilliant lunatic, Koenma, and no matter how deeply my hatred runs for him, I have to admit that he is brilliant.  But when he snaps and reverts to his old ways, don't expect any help from me or my husband in cleaning up the mess for you after we warned you more than once to leave him in limbo.  This is entirely on _your_ head," she slammed the door hard enough to rattle the walls, making Koenma wince and hunch in on himself self-consciously in the following silence.

_'We need to find where that woman goes and speak with her_,' Youko insisted in a thoughtful tone, practically burning to get the rest of the story she was guarding in that pretty little head after those appetite-whetting snippets.  '_That's going to be damn good, I can taste it.  That's a woman who can give us answers._'

_Later_, Kurama's eyes narrowed on Koenma, clearing his throat to get the brooding deity's attention on him before he set his hand on his hip and challenged him in a low growl, "I'd say it goes without saying that it's time for a long talk…"


	22. Full Speed Backward

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Ugh… technology is a beautiful thing until it decides to commit mechanical suicide. –makes a face-  I'm sorry if I'd gotten anyone worried about up and dying or anything of the sort (you know who you are  ^__~), especially after my admittedly predictable presence online, but I was without my computer when it decided to have an obstinate moment and flip me a series of rude gestures.  Or as close to making gestures as a fingerless chunk of metal and plastic can manage. –shakes fist at computer before composing self-

Anyhow, this one really almost got chopped in half because it started to get disgustingly long, but at the same time I realized it's been a while since I tossed my junkies a fix and I decided to just let it be.  To all my lovely and patient reviewers, you already know you're fabulous, but I feel like saying it again and since this is my space, I will.  I simply adore hearing what you're thinking, and I've been getting such detailed reviews that I can't help but get excited when I see another.  But!  Enough of me being long winded…  

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Full Speed Backward~

            "You weren't supposed to be involved," Koenma wearily rubbed his head, stepping back until he could sit down on his desk, tucking one knee up to his chest and regarding them with weary irritation.  "And I should extend your sentences for stealing confidential documents off my desk that weren't mine."

            "Desperate times," Hiei smirked coldly, shifting his stance to show Koenma he was willing to stand in that one position as long as it took to get the answers he wanted.  _He's mad at us for that woman being angry with him_.

            '_Then he should have told us what we wanted in the first place,_' Youko replied airily. 

            "We were right, weren't we?" Yuusuke's lips thinned with his souring expression, eyebrow twitching as he fought his desire to shake the deity the same way that Sango had been doing when they entered.  "We're the ones with youkai blood.  We ain't good enough to hear about what's going on in your eyes."

            "It's not a matter of being good enough or not, Yuusuke, it's a matter of not causing any of you unnecessary temptation," he admitted grudgingly, scooting back farther on his desk to put more space between them as he smoothed out his clothes and checked his body for any lasting damage.  "The legends we allowed to slip into obscurity are there for the protection of the creatures that exist in this era, even youkai such as yourself.  And your family."

            "You're going to stick to that story?" Yuusuke's eyebrow arched, now obviously trying to restrain himself from all out blowing up in favor of getting real responses for once.  "With all the shit that you've forced us to do over the years, _now_ you're going to claim you're hiding information for our protection?"

            Koenma heaved a sigh, rubbing a hand over his stomach with a faint wince from Sango's attentions before he twisted around to get back on his side of the desk to reclaim his more confident position in his chair, "My father told me that the Shikon-no-Tama's potential is not something to be taken lightly.  Even if we don't have everything we need to know about it, and can't ask."

            Kurama frowned sharply at the wistful note in his voice, "What do you mean you can't ask?"

            "It all happened before the separations," he gestured expansively, trying to soothe his agitation behind the familiar task of sorting and stamping the files that remained perpetually stacked on the edge of his desk.  "There are very few in our levels who know the story behind the legends firsthand, and since they had died and ascended for their merits before we decided on a hierarchy system, they don't have any obligations to answer to us."

            Hiei and Kurama blinked in surprise while Yuusuke watched the faint blush rising on the demi-god's face with a sort of disturbed fascination, "Don't have any-?  Someone managed to outmaneuver you in politics?  In that bureaucracy bullshit you love holding over our heads so much?"

            The blush deepened and he hunched his shoulders defensively, "It isn't our fault!  He's a very disarming person!  He just… he always seems to be so calm and endearing, and my father didn't realize he'd been talked into a corner until it was already over and done with!"

            _That's a disturbing thought,_ Hiei remarked, unable to contain his curiosity over such a phenomenon.  _What kind of a person could accomplish such a thing against a god who enjoys all that pointless idiocy as much as Koenma?_

            _This legend seems to be protected by a number of people with incredible powers of redirection and distraction,_ Kurama made a sound of mild disgust just loud enough for Hiei to hear.  _We've never seen this kind of defense for a legend._

            '_It's not an ordinary legend,_' Youko shrugged, unconcerned by all the 'whys' at the moment and just wanting to get past it to the real important parts of the story they were all protecting from them.  '_Poke at him.  Find out who these ascended spirits are and where they've settled so we can speak with them ourselves… they'll probably be more receptive to us since we're much more interesting people._'

            _Sango has to be one of them,_ Kurama turned to glance back at the closed door the woman had slammed such a short time ago.  _She said those were her husband's records… so that must mean he's the "monk present at the vanishing of the jewel."  But why are they so secretive about names?  They just use titles in all their work, and that's hardly the way one would write their own history_.

            "They had already said their goodbyes and left by the time we realized we'd been conned out of getting them to agree to answer to our authority," Koenma switched his pacifier from one side of his mouth the other, the action more than a little strange in his older body.  "My father had to go back over the discussion three times before he figured out he'd been tricked into giving out an exemption for their entire family lines."

            _'Now _that_ is my kind of human,_' Youko declared proudly.  '_Someone intelligent enough to trick these bastards so much that they're even now inconvenienced by his actions...  Get his name, I want to meet him and see how good he is against a real professional._'

            "Sango-sama is the only one who can keep him under control, but she unexpectedly helped him trick us for that purpose," he continued to lament as they stared at him, almost matching frowns gracing their expressions under his attempts to stall their inquisition.  "It's not fair if they work together to-"

            "We ain't buying it, brat, so start talking something that makes sense," Yuusuke cut him off, taking advantage of the temporary ruler's current place to slam his fist down on the desk for emphasis.  "We read the same legend you did, you sent us after some guy with an obsession for the most disturbing corpse I've ever seen of a _miko_ hidden in Makai, and you have Kurabara investigating some guy named Sesshoumaru who's apparently bad-ass enough to make Youko act seriously!"

            _'I'm going to strangle him for being so insulting_,' Youko's eyes narrowed on his back, unable to withhold a faint growl at the insinuation he couldn't hold his own against the taiyoukai.  '_How many times do I have to tell him that I'm not afraid of Sesshoumaru the way he wants to think I am?  He will be an exceptional opponent, nothing more.'_

            _Calm down, Fox, look at how big Koenma's eyes just got,_ Hiei's voice held no small amount of satisfaction at the alarmed expression that had just wiped that face clear of any distracting retort he might have planned to make.  _I think we just gave him a name he didn't want to hear._

            "Sesshoumaru?" Koenma repeated in a horrified stammer.

            "The Western Lord?" Hiei nudged with sadistic amusement when his face paled.  "Ring any bells?"

            "But that _can't_ be!  He hasn't left the Makai since he agreed to remove himself, I know he hasn't!" Koenma shot to his feet, pacing back and forth in a frantic burst of energy.  "He had far too much power to remain in a realm filled with humans, and he never liked them much to begin with.  Kurabara is investigating the descendants of Sango-sama and her husband, not the Western Lord!"

            "He's going by Takeharuka, in disguise, and he threatened Kurama for taking an interest in a little human miko," Yuusuke gestured back over his shoulder at the kitsune, missing the sudden scowl on his face for giving away information he didn't necessarily want the Rekai prince to have about his personal life.  "He seemed to like her just fine."

            "Sesshoumaru-sama _tolerates_ humanity so long as they don't interfere with his life or ambitions," Koenma struggled to make them understand how cataclysmic such a youkai being released on the general populace could be.  "Even in the Makai, he doesn't 'lower' himself to interacting with the other youkai."

            "How do you know he's even there then?" Kurama challenged the previous claim with open suspicion.  "If he doesn't interact with them, how can you be certain he hasn't left the Makai?"

            "Just because he doesn't talk to them, it doesn't mean he isn't seen," Koenma rolled his eyes, gesturing expansively with one hand.  "He guards his lands with the same ruthless possessiveness he was known for before agreeing to leave the Ningenkai, and trust me, no one can mistake that description for anyone but Sesshoumaru-sama.  It's just not possible."

            _I'm not sure I believe that,_ Hiei tilted his head slightly to one side as he teased around the edges of Koenma's mind, absently drumming his fingers on his forearm when he caught the verification that the demi-god believed his own words.  _Takeharuka didn't give off the air of an imposter, and that empty sensation seems to suggest he's hiding himself consciously.  Without Rekai's knowledge, apparently…_

            _But that still leaves the problem of _how_ he's passing through undetected,_ Kurama raked a hand through his hair, pausing and letting his eyes flash when he felt a shiver of awareness seep into his ki.

            _Kurama? _Hiei turned his attention more to his friend than to the uninformative rambling Yuusuke's snarled arguments were drawing out of Koenma.  _What is it?_

_            'She got our present_,' Youko purred in satisfaction, curling their fingers in front of his mouth to hide the almost malicious smirk teasing their expression, touching the tip of one finger to his tongue when the rose sent him impressions of the very pissed off investigator kitsune with a chunk taken out of his arm.  '_And she's letting it hold onto her._'

            Hiei scoffed at that, _She probably just doesn't realize she could reject it by telling it to go away._

            '_Details,_' he internally made a dismissive gesture.  '_She's _not _rejecting it, and that means that she's receptive to my pursuit.  No matter what that puffed up inu said.'_

            _Like that made a difference to you,_ the hybrid gave him a flat look behind the cover of Yuusuke's back to show he wasn't buying the misleading implication that such an action would have changed his mind.  _I've seen how serious _both_ sides of you are about getting this miko for yourself._

            _I like her_, Kurama defended Youko's actions for once, making his kitsune side preen with almost staggering arrogance.  _She'll make a good girlfriend, and I don't have to hide Youko from her, so that's one problem off my plate.  It's more than I could have hoped for, finding a girl at random in this era whom is accepting towards youkai._

            _'She is also a damn fine kisser with a very nice body,'_ Youko added with a lascivious grin, his imagination running wild for a moment with all the things he intended to do to their lover before Kurama reigned him in through preservationist instincts alone.  '_Anyone that responsive is well worth the chase to have them all to yourself in the end._'

            _You're a shallow little bastard,_ Hiei observed with a roll of his eyes and turned his attention back to the escalating shouts in front of them.  _And you're lucky she's not a very good miko, or your ass would probably be scorched beyond recognition right about now for being so hands-on with her._

            _She's too sweet for that,_ Kurama shrugged off that threat, wincing when the volume of Koenma's voice finally passed the comfortable decibels.

            '_Hell, Kurama, I'm telling you, she's a killer like us,_' Youko shook his head in irritation.  '_Believe me, I know what I'm talking about.  Her hands-_'

            _Enough about your obsession with her hands for the moment,_ Hiei cut him off and cleared his throat to put a stop to the posturing before it degenerated out of control.  "What _is_ the Shikon-no-Tama, Koenma?" his voice cut through the noise and convinced Yuusuke to break off mid-sentence, much more interested in the answer to that question.

            In the space of a minute, the Rekai prince underwent a drastic alteration, his expression turning grave and somber while his eyes shuttered, and his voice changed pitch to a more mellow, bland tone than they'd ever heard from him, "A disaster… that damn jewel…"

            Yuusuke leaned back, blinking and glancing back to see how his two friends were taking the uncharacteristic behavior, brows drawn low as he prodded, "A disaster for what?"  

He sighed and recollected his thoughts before he tried again, "It was created to protect the world from a creature that was more evil than anything that had existed before, and it wasn't until Midoriko sacrificed her soul to contain it that it was even slightly defeated."

            "Suggesting it _wasn't_ actually defeated," Kurama finished when he fell silent, grateful Youko had stopped putting sexual fantasies in his head to listen more attentively.

            Koenma shook his head, "Not even Midoriko could kill it completely, just trapped it in the jewel with her actions.  Sango-sama is from the village where the Shikon-no-Tama was created, where the miko entrusted her remains.  She tells me after generations of fighting to protect it, the jewel was given to another miko to be purified out of existence, but that the corrupted souls within it managed to fill another with enough poison to restart the same cycle."

            _That doesn't make much sense,_ Hiei glanced behind him and leaned back to brace himself up on the wall in a more casual stance.  _She told him more bits of information without piecing them together to show how they fit with the entire story._

_            Her husband obviously isn't the only clever one in their relationship_, Kurama couldn't help but feel a curl of respect for the unfamiliar deity at the continued proof that she and her husband seemed to love screwing with the 'higher ups' of Rekai just as much as they did.  _Obviously the legend was written in a confusing way on purpose_.

            "So this miko killed herself to fix it too?" Yuusuke rubbed his head and made a disgusted sound.  "I didn't know mikos were so suicidal-"

            "Don't be dense, Yuusuke, mikos value life above all else," Koenma corrected him sharply, rising to smack him upside the head before he settled back as though he'd never moved.

            "Unless it's a youkai," Hiei muttered in disgust.

            "Do you want to know what I know or do you want to spend a week chasing rumors in Makai?" he threatened in frustration, rubbing his aching head until they subsided.  "And for your information, she was attacked by a hanyou and tried to destroy the jewel to protect it when she passed away from the injuries.  Except the jewel wasn't finished with its existence and reformed itself to return fifty years later where the evil that was calling itself Naraku came to hunt it out."

            _An artifact that won't allow itself to "die?"  Sounds annoying_, Hiei arched an eyebrow at the continuing twists in the story.

            _I'm sure you can find people who would agree with you, _Kurama absently shushed him, automatically picking out the holes in information to file away and re-ask when they tracked down Sango and her monk husband.

            "This time the jewel was shattered to prevent from being taken in by a master it didn't choose, sending itself all over feudal Japan to find the souls it wanted and draw them together," Koenma recited, brow furrowed in concentration.  "The difference was the jewel had an appointed keeper with its reformation, and used her to gather its strength together and annihilate Naraku completely."

            "Somehow I get the sense that isn't the end of the story," Hiei murmured dryly into the following lull after they had paused to digest what they'd heard.  _Aside from how bizarre this suggestion is that the jewel was sentient and held a grudge against this Naraku for hunting it._

            "That's the problem," Koenma blew out a sigh, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back.  "That's really all they'll tell us.  Sango-sama refuses to say more than the jewel was finally restored after a terrible accident that nearly killed her husband's second wife.  But that she still never recovered from it and died soon after giving birth to their second child."

            "What's that wife's name?" Yuusuke prodded curiously.

            "They won't say," he shook his head.  "I can't find any files that pertain to her, and there's no sign she was ever processed, but I can't be sure without a name and no one is talking."

            "She's probably been reincarnated by now," Kurama observed, trying to fathom why they would be so close-lipped about a cherished member of their family, but passed it off as just another way to irritate the diminutive ruler.  _I would use it after all, and this monk seems too intelligent to pass up the chance._  "If it was so long ago and she was taken before her time due to an event that led to humans ranking ascension, she would have been high in line to be given another try at-" he broke off and made a slow sound of understanding as he shared a look of dawning comprehension with Hiei.

            Yuusuke rocked back on his heels slightly, too familiar with this side of the process not to have caught the undertones, "That's it, isn't it?  She _was_ reincarnated already."  

"And _you_ recently approved reincarnation for the soul of a man directly involved in her death," Kurama added the accusation.

            "Possibly the target of his obsession in the first place," Hiei's eyebrow kicked up in his bland superiority that never failed to convey how beneath him he felt such a mistake was.  "Since you mentioned that was the issue, wasn't it?"

            '_The first wife is defensive, angry, condemning… and by the dialogue, her husband has been willing to turn over documents pertaining to events in the past that haven't been shown for some time,_' Youko ticked off points they knew on mental fingers as they watched the demi-god curl in on himself self-consciously.  '_Koenma's nervous and sending us after the only youkai attachment he knows is left over from Naraku and alive in Makai.  It makes sense._'

            _They think Koenma's going to get the other wife of their family killed again through his mistake,_ Hiei smirked at the discomfiture on Koenma's face.  _Or worse, that she'll be taken by this thing and not be returned to them when she finishes her new life._

_            Maybe worse than that,_ Kurama's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he pondered the way he continued to fidget under their attention.  "What happened to the Shikon-no-Tama, Koenma?"

            He flinched and ducked his head to busy himself looking at his paperwork rather than look at the piercing emerald eyes, "No one knows.  The only information we have is that the accident changed everything, but they won't tell us how or why."

            _Can't imagine why_, Hiei snorted.

            "So there's a chance it still exists and if this psycho thinks that girl knows about where it is, or that she's the same one he killed over the Shikon thing in the first place, he'll probably go after her to pick up where he left off," Yuusuke's jaw set, grinding his teeth together hard against the sudden urge to demand what the hell he was thinking.  "And in _this _lifetime, she won't know anything about it or him, and she won't know how to defend herself or have her family to protect her."

            "That's a… distinct possibility," Koenma admitted in a quiet voice.

            '_Well shit, no wonder that Sango girl was pissed off!_' Youko was well beyond ready to throw his hands up in his air and start proclaiming what idiots occupied the upper levels, muttering in self-directed disgust over how lazy he had to have gotten if he was actually caught stealing from them.  '_She obviously loved that other wife if she's that protective.  Mutual decision to have…Ooh, she probably picked her out herself, I think humans did that back then-!_'

            _Focus, Youko,_ Kurama prodded him back to attention.  _We'll think about it later_, _but right now we need to get more about what he _does_ know about this mess_.

            "And you were planning to tell us when?" Yuusuke demanded in a shout that had both Hiei and Kurama wincing.  "When this guy showed up and kidnapped this girl and tried to use her to recreate all the shit the legend talks about?  All that shit that Sango woman talked about?  Would you have waited until she was dead again?  Or worse?"

            "The side effects of the Shikon-no-Tama were specifically geared to youkai and in extreme cases, humans with dreams of grandeur that could tap into the evil souls trapped inside," Koenma pressed his palms flat on the table and yelled right back in his face.  "All it took was one touch to drive a lesser youkai insane, needing and craving its power.  But the ones strong enough to hold off _that _effect used the jewel to increase their strength a hundred times over!"

            The unspoken end to that revelation hanging in the air was easy to decipher. 

            "And we… _are_ strong youkai," Hiei murmured quietly, folding his arms with a slow precision that made Koenma set his jaw.

            '_Why that presumptuous little prick,_' Kurama could feel Youko's gaze darken, grinding their teeth together at the sudden need to grab Koenma and beat him back into his infantile state.  '_He was trying to handle it without us because he thought we'd take the jewel and destroy the world, or something overly-dramatic and ridiculous like that.  _He's _been making _our _lives miserable just because he's a paranoid little fuck._

            _And putting an innocent human girl at risk of losing her soul forever, _Kurama held back his other side with effort, thoughts racing madly at the implications.

            "I'm sorry, but we couldn't take the chance that you would be tempted," Koenma's stubborn expression suddenly crumbled as he slumped back down, propping one elbow on his desk to brace the weight oh his head wearily in his palm.  "It's a discussion I've had to have with Sango-sama many times… but even if it comes to the destruction of this person's soul, we cannot allow the Shikon-no-Tama to fall into youkai hands again.  If the stories are even half true-"

            "You already decided to let her get killed?" Yuusuke scowled and leaned over the desk again.  "Dammit, Koenma, what the fuck are we working for you for if you won't trust us with this kind of thing?!  Sure, we ain't pansy angels or anything, but we've got no reason to take over the world because of a stupid jewel!"

            _Less eloquent than I would have preferred, but at least he's getting the point across,_ Kurama almost smiled at the indignation radiating off their leader, biting it back to indulge at a less tension-ridden moment.

            '_It's damn insulting to think we'd need any sort of artifact to increase our power,'_ Youko spat out, his skin crawling with distaste at the idea that anyone would ever think such a thing of him.  '_I might steal it for the hell of it, but I've never needed enhancements.  I should break his desk in half over his head for suggesting it-_'

            _Your ego is running away with your intelligence, _Hiei interrupted when he saw Kurama's hands clench and unclench with the need to vent his anger.  _Refocus… what do you think that empty miko has to do with all of this?_

            Kurama went still, his eyes widening fractionally at the sudden idea of all the ways that the girl he and Youko had finally agreed on could be linked with this disgustingly tangled mess of history, _Kagome_.

            '_Whatever it is, she's ours now,_' Youko replied without missing a beat, the absolute finality in the tone of his voice making it seem as though he thought that should have been understood.  '_But the timing is right… with the company she keeps, we have to assume she knows something important.  Maybe it's something with her family that ties in_.'

            _Which would make the over-protectiveness of the youkai around her even more understandable,_ Kurama turned the possibilities over in his head with a frown.  _With the suggestion they have been alive so long, perhaps they were present when the events of this legend were happening?_

            "Anyone with ties to that jewel know that it's more important to protect it, even if the methods used aren't completely on the white side of the line or cause a few deaths," Koenma protested in his own defense.  "And don't look so surprised, you two.  You were caught stealing from us once already, and we're not stupid enough to think you wouldn't do it again in a heartbeat for the right prize."

            Hiei shrugged, neither agreeing with nor denying the accusation.

            _Should we ask him or should we wait and ask Sango?_ Kurama was mostly ignoring the excuses tumbling from Koenma's lips as he argued the merits of his decision.  _If Kagome _is_ involved, and he didn't know about her already, he might try to snap her up himself and keep her in Rekai until he figures it out._

'_Good point,_' Youko frowned at the idea, but openly acknowledged that it was definitely Rekai's style.  '_We can't let them find her then, not until we know more about what's really going on here._'

            _I would be more impressed by that decision if I didn't know it was motivated by the desire to initiate a relationship to satisfy your depraved withdrawls,_ Hiei interjected blandly, lips quirked faintly at the scowls he could feel press in on his mind.  

            _Are you really in a rush to have her locked in a vault for Koenma's leisurely interrogation before you figure out how she feels the way she feels?_ Kurama taunted, tossing his head in victory when the hybrid went silent and refused to look his way.  Satisfied, he decided to turn the conversation around before Yuusuke inadvertently gave away the miko they'd all met so very recently, "Why did you send Kurabara in as a spy to Takeharuka if you think he's human?"

            "That's simple," Koenma smiled slightly, delighted at the redirection for his own reasons.  "The descendants of the bloodlines involved in the past are all closely tied to the Takeharuka empire, so the best way to keep an eye on them and look for any clues to if the jewel is still around or not was to plant him at the heart of their family.  It really has grown quite sizable since its near destruction in Sengoku Jidai."

            "And your method seems to have worked wonders so far," Hiei remarked in sardonic amusement.

            The smile turned into a scowl of annoyance, "Just because they don't have any information related to the Shikon-no-Tama beyond what we have, it doesn't make it a complete failure.  They've carried on the tradition of their ancestors, passing down the training of the taijiya lines and the powerful holy skills from their origins."

            '_Holy-_?'

            "What do you mean holy?" Kurama finished when Youko trailed of in surprise.

            "Did I forget to mention that Sango-sama's husband was a monk of remarkable power and skill?" Koenma's eyebrow arched as he watched the varying expressions around him.  "She never refers to him as anything but 'Houshi-sama,' though… it's very frustrating for us."

            "And there are _no_ records with any names?" Yuusuke demanded in disbelief.

            "They were either confiscated or misplaced."

            "Misplaced," he set a fist on his hip and repeated.

            _This is getting ridiculous_, Kurama readjusted his arms, keeping one folded across his abdomen to make a prop for the other elbow as he dropped his head into the upturned palm and rubbed his temples.  "Who confiscated the records, Koenma?" he asked in a tired voice when the minutes ticked by in the current staring match.

            "Sango-sama's husband walked in one day, went sorting through the files just as calm as if he owned my office and left with an armload of folders without a word," he raked a hand through his hair, spreading out a stack of papers with absent, and -by now-practiced efficiency.

            "Part of his exemption?" Hiei wasn't quite sure if he was impressed or pissed off at the nameless, and currently faceless monk.

            "Anything pertaining to his family is untouchable without his permission," Koenma ground out reluctantly, more than embarrassed to admit they'd been tricked to such an extent.  "Including lifetime files… given his position, he even has the power to collect souls himself when they're scheduled to pass along.  He doesn't _need_ anything we do when it comes to his own."

            '_Sonofabitch… that's a crafty fucking human_,' Youko spoke through his delighted laughter, unable to deny that he felt the discomfort on Koenma's face was well worth any sorts of impediment this monk's interference happened to cause their own investigation. 

            _Especially for a holy man,_ Hiei snorted.

            '_My tail he is… that's a con-artist, pure and simple, even if he is a supposed monk,_' Youko answered before Kurama had even collected his thoughts enough to make the effort to come up with his own opinion.

            _It's not like you to be so defensive to a total stranger,_ Kurama's brow furrowed slightly as they watched Koenma slap at Yuusuke when the latter started laughing at him openly.

            '_We recognize our own,_' Youko nodded and gave him his most matter-of-fact tone.

            _Thieves_.

            '_Of course_.'

            _Who managed to find two wives and father two children that we know of in his _human_ lifetime,_ Hiei drawled out in the exact same tone.

            A low growl answered this time.

            _A miko and a taijiya,_ he continued to dig in deeper, losing interest in his torment of the demi-god now that he had a new avenue of taunting open to him.  _Strong enough on their own to be involved with the potential "end of the world" and make it out alive.  Maybe he can give you advice on how to get Kagome to say yes to you when she has a taiyoukai and his followers surrounding her so familiarly?_

            '_We're going to tear you apart very slowly, Hiei_,' Youko fought to get control of their hands, swearing in frustration when Kurama kept him firmly reigned in.  '_Dammit, Kurama, let go!  I'm going to snap that tiny little spine of his in half and use it to make a bedpost so he can spend eternity watching us have wild, violent-_'

            _Enough! _Kurama rushed to cut him off before he could finish that, horrified at what he could possibly say to compliment the crude images flashing through his head.  _Stop it, Hiei, I've seen her _twice_, and it's not like I could have just picked her up and dragged her away at Yuusuke's house_.

            '_Actually, we_ could_ have just-_'

            _Your opinion of that matter doesn't count, Youko_, Kurama blew out a sigh and gave up on getting anything more serious out of their meeting now that Hiei had decided to tune it out in favor of tormenting him on his on-going difficulties.  _Besides, you don't really want to kidnap her, you want her to come to us on her own… And _you _were the one who said you wanted to steal her heart and soul, so don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about._

            "I don't have time to stand around listening to your insults, Yuusuke!" Koenma's infuriated snarl drew them back to the less entertaining argument playing out practically on cue.  "This is a serious matter."

            _Here it comes,_ Hiei rolled his eyes.

            "Get out of my office until you can show me the respect my station deserves!" he slapped his hand down hard on the surface of his desk, scowling at Yuusuke the entire time.  "I have too many important things to worry about without standing around and wasting my time in such a way!"

            _Unfortunately there is still a certain predictability to their pattern,_ Kurama acknowledged, taking a habitual step back while Yuusuke started with the insults until he had expertly worked the prince into a fine fury.

            _Dinner after this?_ Hiei was already turning to leave.

            _Go on without me… I have something I have to do first,_ Kurama's voice took on a distracted quality as Youko finally stopped his ranting in favor of a slow smile of pure kitsune glee at that remark.

            Hiei paused and turned back with a suspicious light in his eyes, _Something?_

            _Nothing for you to be concerned with,_ Kurama assured him, angling his body to keep Koenma from seeing the wicked twist to his lips before he schooled it back to his "usual" serene expression.

            _Just what was your "gift" to her, Fox?_ Hiei frowned sharply, certain there was something he'd missed now while he was fighting Shippou and distracted with his need for answers.  Stepping back when Yuusuke abruptly turned on his heel and stalked for the door with the demi-god shouting over his desk that he wasn't finished yelling at him for being so disruptive, he made sure to give him a heavily weighted stare, _What did you do that you didn't tell me about?_

            Youko tsked in disapproval, '_Are you accusing us of using underhanded tactics when we were given specific instructions from Sesshoumaru himself to be on our best behavior?_'

            _What is it humans say?  About lightning striking?_ Hiei snorted, shaking his head as he moved to follow their team leader away from the sound of Koenma's voice.  Granted it wasn't as abrasive to the senses now that he'd matured into his older body permanently –or at least until he screwed up badly enough to have to re-grow it again- but the noise was still grating enough after a point, _You keep trying to pass that shit off at me, and it's only a matter of time before we find out if that's true_.

            Kurama and Youko chuckled in unison, waiting until the door had slammed closed behind them before sliding a hand through his hair with deceptive casualness, opening his palm just enough for Hiei to catch a glimpse of the seed just beginning to sprout under their direction, _The humans have another saying that I find myself more inclined to follow at the moment_.

            _What's that?_

_            All's fair in love and war_.

~*~*~*~

Kagome took up a stance across from Shippou, smiling in helpless amusement when he winked and formed the two wakizashis that he seemed to have grown so fond of and held them up in a guarding position, "You've been dying to do this, haven't you, brat?"

            "You kidding?  Like Sesshoumaru says, if you can fight a miko as strong as you, you can fight anything," he chirped back brightly.  "Besides, I was too little to help you train with anything but stupid little illusions before."

            The rings of her shakujou jingled against each other as she blew out a centering breath and felt the length of the staff warm and fortify under her direction, frowning slightly when the first spatter of rain hit her hand, "Shippou-"

            "I'm not _that_ elemental," he defended, turning his nose up at the accusation that he'd tamper with the environment for their first real fight.  "Besides, it's just rain.  Perfectly normal for this time of year and all that."

            _True,_ she almost rolled her eyes, but stopped herself and focused on the sound of her foot against the grass as she slid one out wider for more even balance.  "This means you can't whine about being muddy," she pointed out.

            Shippou giggled, "I changed out of my good clothes.  Besides, I really only do that to annoy Sesshoumaru.  C'mon, Nee-san, I'm ready whenever you are!"

            Kagome shook her head with an affectionate laugh, rolling her shoulders once more as her soul heated with the focused rise of ki before she pushed off with her leading foot and swung the shakujou with enough force that the startled kitsune slid back a few paces across the dampening grass.

            He blinked and blinked again, readjusting his grip before his lips split in a dazzling grin and he darted in at her much more confidently, "So you really_ are_ holding back whenever you're fighting with Shinju and Souta."

            Kagome let her mind retreat back into the lessons that had been drilled into her on a daily basis, and the experiences that had tempered them for so many years as she swung the staff to meet and deflect the rapid attacks.  Still, she was laughing again as she answered him, "You knew that, you little idiot.  We fight differently than they do."  _If I can help it, we always will_.

            "Yeah well, it's still not something you expect to feel from a human, you know?" he flipped over her head and puffed up proudly when she dropped under the swing with ease and rolled without a single thought for the condition of her clothes.  He would have been slightly less pleased if he hadn't convinced her to change, but it was good to know she still had her priorities straight in threatening situations.  _Sesshoumaru's right… we'd never be able to take away the killer instinct she learned with us in the past.  She really can't be a normal human any more than we can._

            Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a blast of music, pausing with the shakujou holding down Shippou's crossed swords and looking around until she saw a portable stereo plugged into an outlet on the porch.  "What the hell?" she cocked her head to one side, trying to make sense of what she was seeing and hearing.

            "Can't have a fight without a soundtrack," Shippou answered her look matter-of-factly before he leaned forward and kissed her on the nose, following up with a kick to her stomach that sent her crashing to the ground with an "_oomph!_" of surprise.

            "You've got to be kidding me," Kagome muttered, rolling out of the way before he could come down on top of her and bringing her elbow hard enough against the side of his knee that it buckled and would have shattered if he were anything but youkai.  A familiar tune started as she rolled to her feet and shot him a disbelieving look, "You did not-!  Shippou, is this Souta's video game soundtracks?"

            Shippou shot her an innocent look, "Maybe?"

            "You really are a freak," she shook her head and grinned at him with a sort of taunting affection, brushing mud off her cheek with her shoulder as the rain picked up and added weight to clothes and hair.

            "But I'm a very cute freak," he pointed out loftily, sinking the blades into the grass as he reached up and unbuttoned his top shirt to toss it back towards their piled belongings on the safety of the porch.  "And I'm going to kick your ass, Nee-san, so don't underestimate the power of my soundtrack!"

            Kagome burst out laughing, setting the staff in front of her as her hand glowed very briefly to hold it erect while she yanked her own shirt up over her head and cast it aside as well before bending to rid herself of socks and shoes while Shippou preened in front of her and made sure his sienna hair was perfectly smoothed into its topknot.

            "See?  Aren't you glad I told you to change?" Shippou wheedled when her shoes had gone the way of her shirt and the legs of her pants rolled up to keep from tripping her up.  "Preparing for the unpredictability of weather… plus it's a lot sexier to fight in the rain when it can hit skin directly."

            "Sesshoumaru told me to have a talk with you about your openly perverted nature, you know," Kagome arched an eyebrow over that offered remark and sighed, absently checking her own ponytail before gripping the shakujou again and flexing her feet to soak in the natural living feel of their surroundings.

            "I'm knowledgeable, Kagome, not perverted," he corrected with a scolding shake of one finger as he reached down to pull the wakizashis free of the earth, perfectly clean despite the rising pressure of the rain as the ground obediently released them to his hands.

            "And now you sound just like Miroku," Kagome pointed out, twisting to pivot on one foot and side-step him when he rushed her again, blocking the first strike and adjusting the staff to catch the second blade inside the ring.  A clean snap of the wrist had jerked it out of his hand while the following kick was avoided in a neat hop backwards, "How many times do I have to tell you not to repeat anything he taught you?"

            "He really _should_ have been a kitsune, you know," Shippou defended, holding up a hand to summon back the lost weapon and sink down into a crouch, eyes glowing richly in soundless praise for the flawless execution of that maneuver.  He'd wanted so badly to do this, every time he watched from the sidelines as Sango and Miroku taught her what they knew, then later watching her instructions with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru.

            The taiyoukai had naturally been the most difficult opponent short of Naraku himself, and as such, he'd been her most demanding instructor, forcing her to develop her uncertain skills before they had the chance to overwhelm and control her.

            Those had been the fights that were the most fun to watch.

            He felt the pulse over his sternum, smirking slightly as they parried blows again while he absently let his mind recall his childish jealousy at being the only one who hadn't understood what had happened.  There had been so many long nights where he'd lain awake, straining to hear the low discussions between the young miko and the other members of the group, even more after Inuyasha's deadly brother had been drawn in to their altered situation, but they'd always seen through his attempts.

            It had been a complete accident when he finally _did_ find out what all the secrecy had been about, and an even bigger shock.

            Shippou would never admit it, of course, but that had been the day he decided that regardless of their past history, Sesshoumaru would always have his respect and admiration for being the one who saved both him and the miko he adored from a fate worse than death.  He'd also come into a new, if somewhat awkward sort of camaraderie with Inuyasha for unintentionally stumbling into the very situation the elegant taiyoukai had been forced to "fix" in the first place.

            To make matters worse, Kagome had forgiven them so easily that he still had moments of guilt, but still… deep in the most hidden part of his mind he was grateful for the connection that they had yet to find a reversal for.  It was worth the minor inconveniences to be able to find Kagome wherever she might be taken, or to provide her with a safe haven temporarily if she needed it in an emergency and Sesshoumaru wasn't close enough to deliver.

            His mind jolted abruptly back to the present when he felt the crack of the staff against the outside of his ankle, following through to knock him flat on his back as the sharpened edge of the shakujou's crown came within a breath of his throat. 

            Shippou swallowed and looked up the motionless length of the staff to Kagome's face, connecting with glassy blue set into a perfectly grave expression as she informed him softly, "Wandering minds make for sloppy hands, Shippou-chan.  Don't ever make yourself an easy kill by thinking past the battle in front of you."

            For a long moment they stared at each other with only the sounds of the rain pouring around them to mingle with their accelerated breaths, his face full of a soft sort of surprise as he watched the way the faded pupils mingled in with the deeper shade of her own irises until the emotions roiling just below the surface broke free.  Shippou could feel the muscles in his body going slack as a bolt of understanding rocked through him, tilting his view of the world on its axis for that frozen space of time when he recognized the raw edge to the pain and memories making her eyes shift and sparkle so very intensely.

            Five hundred years was a long time to reflect… to be able to sort out memories and slowly come to grips with things and feelings that he'd had no control over.  Five hundred years to soften the blow of hard-won battles and family long-gone to the inescapable flow of time; even against the nightmares of enemies and uncertainties that had haunted his every waking moment in his childhood.  

Not to mention his buffer of actually _being_ little more than a child so long ago.  The harsh realities of life in Sengoku Jidai was something that he was intimately familiar with, but despite that, he knew that without Kagome, and Inuyasha, and all of them, they would have been much, much worse.  He'd been mostly free of the doubt that his adult mind could look back on and see plaguing his adopted family, letting himself be consoled and reassured with loving touches and false confidence that had blurred around the edges with the passage of that time.

Five hundred years ago, he never would have been allowed to see the emotions coloring Kagome's eyes that indigo-blue of fathomless knowledge and pain.

_It brought her forward,_ Shippou could feel his eyes softening, taking in the way the rain plastered her hair to her pale skin in stark contrast, the rigid way she held her body, and the ease of precision that kept the deadly ring of the shakujou resting just above his skin.  _We had time- _I_ had time… to think, and to heal…_

A ripple of energy seemed to dance down her skin, the warming feel plucking at the back of his mind as he recognized the sensation, the push against her senses for an outlet to what had mostly become an exercise for the youkai of this era.  He could still remember it, especially since it was so common to feel from Sesshoumaru and any other youkai old enough to have the violent instincts to survive at all costs deeply ingrained into the very essence that created their soul, but humans had long since forgotten.  In this time there was simply no need to be ready to kill at a second's notice or find yourself at an abrupt end.  

But then… _She isn't any more from this time than she was from ours in the past when she first came.  Kagome… Kagome traded being misplaced in one time for being misplaced in this one that was supposed to be her home, all because of… because of us_.  _Because of what she had to become to stay with us_.  _And she remembers it all as if it had only just happened- To her it _did_ only just happen_.

The sheer enormity of that realization had Shippou's brows drawing in against a sharp stab of regret, mouth opening for a moment before it closed on whatever words had been trying to make their way from his head to his lips.  What could you say to someone who had done what she did?  Hell, how did _she_ handle it in such a way that it had taken him so long to actually recognize it for himself?  Shippou prided himself on his observational skills, seeing things that anyone else would pass over in a heartbeat.

So why had this taken him so long to see?

            "_Holy **shit**!!_"

             Shippou was jerked out of his thoughts, twisting in unison with Kagome to stare at the widened eyes of her brother, inwardly noting that with their positions, there was only one thing he could have seen to encourage that type of reaction.  The flinch was so subtle that if they hadn't been so close to each other he probably would have missed it, but his reaction was instantaneous.

            He rolled out from under the deadly edge, rising to his feet with all the fluid grace his centuries had given him and flicking a hand to conjure up a shirt before stepping to her side and dragging it over her shoulders with a warning scowl in the boy's direction.

            Whether he saw it and chose to ignore it, or completely missed that frown in his distraction, Shippou didn't know, but whatever it was, Souta was bounding off the porch to skid across the grass in front of them with a look of concerned fear and shocked curiosity warring to gain control of his features, "Kagome!  What the-?  What in-?  What the _fuck_ happened?!"

            The uncharacteristic language had one of Shippou's eyebrows kicking up before he could stop it, protectively hovering at Kagome's side as she slowly straightened and turned to look from her brother to the porch where Shinju stood as placid and stable a presence as ever even as he bent to stop the music from playing, "He called you?"

            Shinju nodded a single time, holding up his arm to show the towels draped over it while his eyes slanting to the way brother and sister were staring at each other, quietly looking for answers in the other's eyes until Shippou swore under his breath and grabbed Kagome by the waist to lift her off her feet and carry her up out of the rain.

            "Oi!  Dammit, Shippou, how many times do I have to remind you guys she's _my_ sister and technically I've known her a lot longer than you have!" Souta hurried to follow, setting his jaw and glaring at the kitsune when the latter turned a superior look back at him.  "And _stop_ looking at me like that!  I have a right to know what happened to make those marks!"

            "Shippou," Kagome's voice took on a warning note that had him backing down as she gratefully took a dark towel from Shinju's outstretched hand, dabbing at the water running down her skin rather than look at either of them until she could manage to get her racing thoughts under control.  "Don't be an ass."

            Shinju chuckled softly, shaking his head at the crestfallen expression that crossed the kitsune's face at being scolded like a child, but giving her the time she seemed to need before she could answer her brother, "There is… a great deal that must be concealed under the circumstances, Souta.  Kagome's passage through the time rift is not something that Sesshoumaru-sama wishes other creatures to know." 

            "Those didn't come from the well," Souta folded his arms stubbornly over his chest, unable to completely conceal the hurt in his eyes when Kagome finally turned enough to meet his gaze.  "You said you would tell me eventually, Nee-san!  What happened?"

            Kagome blew out a heavy sigh, craning her neck back to look out over the yard through the rain before she closed her eyes and seemed to come to some sort of decision, "I was… in the way.  When Inuyasha and Naraku were fighting over the jewel, after we had collected everything.  There was a fight."

            "There was _always_ a fight," Shippou muttered in a subdued tone, fidgeting as he tried to think of any way he could possibly buffer her against the memories that were still so unforgivingly fresh to her mind.

            A humorless smile touched her lips as she nodded and agreed even softer, "That's true…"

            The tension settled around them as heavily as the rain, unvoiced questions hanging stagnant in the air until Shippou nudged her and added in a teasing pitch, "And Inuyasha said you were always in the way."

            This time Kagome's smile was genuine, eyes brightening as she chuckled at the more pleasant memories that brought her and shook her head, straightening her spine and lightly elbowing Shippou in the stomach, "That's also true."

            Shippou preened at being able to draw her smile out, puffing up his chest and taking the towel away before he motioned for her to turn her back to him, "C'mon, Nee-san.  I'll get you cleaned up while you talk."

            Souta intercepted the towel and tilted his chin up to answer the challenge in the kitsune's eyes when they snapped around disapprovingly, "I want to see it."

            Kagome reached up and grasped Shippou's wrist when he opened his mouth to press the issue, shaking her head and murmuring in a softer, cajoling tone, "It's all right.  He's being included with all this, it wouldn't be right not to show him."

            Souta's shoulders relaxed, half formed doubts and fears melting away at hearing his sister defend him to the kitsune who'd known her in a time before he was born and was never allowed to enter.  His hand tightened on the towel when Shippou dropped it and stepped back, head dipping in a silent show of acquiescing with her wishes when she shrugged her shoulders and let the shirt slide down to her elbows, baring the length of her back.

            Shippou stood with his arms folded, only the flick of his tail back and forth betraying his unease with the situation as Kagome reached up to catch her ponytail and drag it over her shoulder, eyes trained down to hide the emotions holding her tense the moment Souta's breath sucked in harshly.

            He couldn't stop the faint growl that rose in his throat when the boy took a step forward, hand extended to touch her before his courage seemed to falter and his palm simply hovered over the disrupted surface of the skin.  One hand lifted self-consciously, pressing his palm over the much smaller copy burned into his own flesh when Souta made the connection and turned those stunned eyes to him.

            "Nee-san…" Souta whispered, glanced back at Shinju's grim expression before he finally let his hand tentatively rest in the center of the main circle, eyes darting over the symbols and writings that looked as though the had been burned with great precision between her shoulder blades.

            "Don't touch it long," Shippou advised with that same quietness that had overtaken the porch, even the rain falling in a more muted pattern, as though showing respect to the miko sitting so still for the "examination."

            "Why?" he couldn't stop himself from asking even as he lifted his hand, brows furrowing when he realized there was an entire starburst of irregular tiny lines that seemed to originate from the center of that mark.  _It… something… exploded on her back?  But…?_

            "Humans don't seem to like the way it feels," Shippou shrugged it aside with a nonchalance he was far from feeling, reaching out to set his hand on Kagome's shoulder and squeeze as he bent down to look at her face.  "Kagome?"

            "I'm all right," she offered him a reassuring half-smile, blowing out a heavy breath and stubbornly turning her gaze up to the grey sky.  "It was a long time ago, Souta…  But it did take me longer to heal."

            The shirt slipped lower and Souta felt his hands clench at the sight of the bottom half of the macabre design, the perfectly symmetrical lines starting just beside her spine within the lowest edge of the circle, losing sight of them under the fabric of her sports bra, only to see the lines undisturbed past the material and dragging down at an angle along her ribs.  As though something had hooked the bones and ridden them down before being removed from her flesh, "Who did this to you?"  _My gods… she-!  She could have died!  Did this happen after she stopped returning?  We would have noticed if she came home with these wounds, I'm sure we would have!  But how-?_

            "An accident."

            "This is one hell of an accident!" he exploded, gripping her shoulder and pulling her around to face him, completely oblivious to how much like a child he sounded when he yelled at her.  "You could have _died!_"

            Shippou instinctively reached up to steady her despite her own change in stance to balance after the unexpected motion, glaring over the top of her head and hissing out, "We wouldn't have let her die!  Not while any of us were alive!"

            "You could have _all_ died!" Souta shot back at him, gesturing back so expansively that Shinju had to duck or be hit in the face.  "But that's not the point right now!  I want to know who cut that into my sister, and I want to know _now!_"

            "I broke the jewel a second time," Kagome stepped forward, clapping a hand over his mouth and forcing him to catch her eyes when he seemed about to go into full-blown hysterics.  "Inuyasha and Naraku were fighting for it after it was completed… I didn't know I was standing in the way until it was too late, and not even Naraku had thought that it would shatter when it hit me."

            "That's what the little scars are from… the lines," he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand down enough to talk.  "There were shards in your back?"

            She nodded once, murmuring a quick thanks to Shippou when she felt his drag the shirt back up to cover her, "That's what I meant by being in the way.  If I hadn't been standing where I was, it would have missed me."  _Maybe…_

            Shippou gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe that for an instant, but let it slide to reassure the slowly calming human in front of them.  He busied himself by taking back the towel and pulling her hair away from her body to squeeze out the excess moisture before carefully working at drying the rest, determined to turn his own mind away from the nightmare memories he still carried from that day.

            "Naraku ran away again after that with the shards that had managed to get free, but I didn't know," Kagome reached up and brushed his hair out of his eyes, lightly cupping his chin and pleading with him not to ask questions she didn't want to answer yet.  "Miroku-sama said that the marking on my back were an ancient language… spells and charms that had been dead for a long time, but we don't know who made them."

            "And the others?" Souta gritted his teeth, expression earnestly pleading for the truth.  "What made them?"

            "That happened later," Kagome's eyes slanted away from his guiltily, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the chill that had nothing to do with the air around them.  "Nothing could have stopped it, but… I was being restrained.  I got them when Sesshoumaru decided to help us."

            "Claws, Souta," Shippou clarified when the boy had opened his mouth again, turning Kagome and splaying his own fingers over those scars to illustrate the way she'd been held, and then tracing them out to clarify how the pattern was made.  "A youkai didn't want to let her go and Big Dog just dragged her out of it backwards.  But don't puff up and think badly of him… there just wasn't any other way to get her out.  We'd been trying."

            Kagome swatted him over the head, rolling her eyes and muttering about high-handed tactics while Shinju hid a faint chuckle behind his hand.  At least until Souta rounded on him accusingly, "Dammit, why aren't you shocked?"

            "Miroku-sama kept very clear records," Shinju shrugged, gripping his sleeve and pulling it up until he could show the blues lines of the identical image decorating his shoulder.  "It was recorded and preserved in Sesshoumaru-sama's library for us to read after he taught us our history."

            Souta looked at him like he'd just lost his mind, "And you just up and tattooed it on your arm."

            "I meditated a great deal on the possibility," he returned with a sage nod that had Shippou snickering behind Kagome's back.  Coming in such a blasé tone of voice for a topic like that was just too close to the monk they had known and loved in the first place, "Then I drank sake with Kaze until it seemed like the proper solution to my ponderings."

            Souta blinked in disbelief and finally looked back to where Kagome was obviously trying her hardest not to burst out laughing, Shippou just shaking his head while his uncle maintained that same peaceful expression, "You… are so strange sometimes, Shinju-sensei."

            "Please, Souta!" he held up one hand, two fingers in front of his lips while the others curled loosely towards his palm.  "I am but a humble servant of Buddha.  To accuse me of such eccentricities-ah!"

            Kagome smiled affectionately and kissed him on the forehead once she'd dragged his head down low enough with her hold on the little ponytail at his nape, "Go help with dinner, Shinju."

            She gave him a push back towards the house, glancing up at Shippou and motioning with her head, "Give us a minute?"

            Shippou pursed his lips, not liking the request one bit, but finally relenting with another nod, "Call me if you need me, Nee-san.  And come inside before the sun finishes setting so you can change your clothes."

            "I was taking care of myself before you were," she shooed him off with her hands, waiting for him to disappear through the shoji before her eyes scanned the grass for the shakujou, flicking her wrist to bring it back to her and walking to the railing with a sigh.

            "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt that badly?" Souta slowly walked up beside her, folding his arms on the rail and leaning over to sneak a look up at her profile.  "Why didn't you tell me it almost killed you?"

            "Because it almost killed me a lot of times, Souta," Kagome smiled gently, reaching out to wrap her arm around her brother's shoulders and tug him closer until their sides touched.  "You were young, and I didn't want you to be worried when I left.  Mama knew why I did it."

            "Did this happen before you couldn't come home?" he asked after he'd taken a minute to digest the affirmation that she'd shielded them from more than he'd thought.  _I guess… it's my fault too.  The stories she'd tell me; it was like a manga or something.  The characters don't get scarred or killed if they're important enough. And Kagome- _he glanced at her face when she leaned out, catching the rain with her eyes closed, _she was supposed to be important enough_.

            Kagome was shaking her head as she pulled herself back under the cover of the porch, wiping the water off her face with her hand, "No, it didn't.  I'd already had Kazenatsu when we fought that battle.  It wasn't easy, Souta, it never was.  But sometimes it's worth it."

            "Almost dying?" his brows lifted, making her heart wrench ever so slightly at the innocence in his eyes, the untainted belief that there weren't really things in the world so evil as to measure up to the stories she told.

            "When you love something and someone enough, Souta, you'd do anything to protect them," she tried to explain, leaning her head on the nearest support for the porch roof as she sorted for the right words.  "If we let Naraku win, this world… this time… it would never have existed.  Everyone I loved in the past would have been killed, and even if I had managed to survive, he would have hunted me forever.  The past would have changed the future, and I couldn't take that risk."  _Even if it killed me._       

            Souta continued to stare at her in silent contemplation while the rain alternately poured and drizzled around them, shadows lengthening across the bamboo boards until he murmured, "You're so old now."

            Kagome snorted at that and turned to glare at him, but her mouth just wouldn't hold the stern look, "I'm not that old!"

            He laughed and spread his hands out, holding off the 'wrath of the insulted female' long enough to try and clarify that, "Well sometimes you are and sometimes you aren't.  When you're just yourself with us, you're… ah, _you_.  But then we have these talks or the way you fight, and you change.  Your eyes look like the youkai you've introduced me to, the old ones, like Sesshoumaru.  Where you know they're sizing you up and counting the ways they could kill you before you've even said hello."

            "It's a survival instinct, Souta," she rolled her eyes, but had to chuckle at the accurate description of Sesshoumaru's typical welcoming stare.  "If you're caught off-guard, something bigger and smarter will eventually get the better of you.  That's how it was done."

            "_I _think he's trying to develop telekinetic powers and cause the instant spontaneous combustion of anyone who irritates him," Souta folded his arms, trying to lift her mood before she could get gloomy and withdrawn.  "Either that or he's near-sighted."

            "Souta!" Kagome gasped out in a scandalized voice, but completely ruined it by laughing at the very thought that the great taiyoukai would even allow himself to have such a flaw.

            "Can't you imagine the visit to the optometrist?" Souta pressed, completely relaxing as he shoved aside his own darker thoughts and fears for a past that was already survived in favor of seeing her smile so widely.  

            "Stop!  You're killing me!" Kagome clutched her stomach and fought off the images she _could_ see so clearly in her head until she finally managed to wind down to giggles and straighten back up.  She had opened her mouth to scold him half-heartedly again when she felt a little tug on her leg and dropped her gaze to the vine curling around her ankle, "Back, hn?  I wondered where you ran off to."

            Souta followed her line of sight down, his mind going blank when the thing twining around his sister's ankle grinned slithered up her exposed calf like some sort of weird, leafy serpent, "That's a plant."

            "Yes, it's a plant."

            "With teeth."

            "A lot of them, actually, Shippou can show you the bite pattern if you're curious," she offered in her most cheerful voice, biting her lip to hide the snicker when he blanched and shot her a highly disturbed look.

            "Why is it smiling at you?" he demanded, clearly torn between yanking it off her in alarm and trying to get a closer look through sheer morbid curiosity.

            "Shippou says it likes me," she shrugged and bent over, holding out her hand and swearing under her breath when it detached from her ankle in favor of climbing her wrist with a squeak that she had come to associate as its "happy" sound.  _I've lost my mind to be encouraging it, but… it's just so… cute_, although, Kagome shied away from the implication to her potentially degenerating sanity over that way of thinking.

            "He gave it to you?" Souta reached out in disbelief, hand hovering over the closed bloom as though offering it to a stray dog as it twisted around and seemed to consider him, tilting from one side to the other.

            "Another kitsune," her cheeks turned pink despite her best efforts and Souta's brows lifted at the sight just before settling down in his smug expression.

            "Oooooh, I see," he pretended to look back at it just as seriously before he finally folded his arms and prepared to make a run for it.  "A boy kitsune?"

            "Yes, a boy kitsune," Kagome glared at him in an effort to stop him before he really startled to tease, but that just made him smile wider.

            "And here I thought you were strictly a dog person," Souta managed to make his face almost totally innocent.

            "Souta-" she started in a growl.

            "At least you're sticking with the weird animal-youkai obsession thing you seemed to have picked up… Who would have ever thought my sister would turn into such a kinky person," he took off the instant the words left his mouth, just barely dodging the butt end of the shakujou as she took a swing at him.

            "Yeah, you'd better run, you little brat!" Kagome shouted after him, shaking her fist before she turned away from the porch and gave chase, following the sound of his laughter down the hall.  "When I get my hands on you, you're going to wish you'd never hit puberty to think of such disrespectful things!"

            "So he _does_ have a tail?" Souta called back, letting out an "_eep_" when the shakujou ended up embedded in the wall over his head.  "Guess that's a no, hn?  How 'bout the ears?"

            "You are so unbelievably dead."

            "No?"

            "If that's as fast as you can run, you'd better start brushing up on your prayers, Souta," Kagome hissed out at him, barely missing running smack into Shippou when the kitsune stepped around the corner carrying a tray of dishes.

            Shippou blinked and turned to watch them turn another corner, smiling when he heard the crash and the shriek that clearly indicated that was indeed as fast as the little human could run, "Think they hit the vase or the painting?"

            Shinju gave him a surprised look as he maneuvered around him towards the dining room, "I heard nothing."

            Catching on, Shippou winked and nodded, deciding it would be worth the look on Jaken's face when he finally returned to the unclaimed destruction, "Right, right… Must have been that over-active kitsune imagination."


	23. Behind Every Good Man

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Ahhh… the time has come to talk of other things, so sayeth the walrus or something equally bizarre.  –chuckles- Anyhow, this really, really is an important note…

It really has come to a point in the story for a split of sorts.  The plot is talking to me and beating me over the head when I try to steer it down a different path, and it's just going to be easiest if I let it flow it's own way.  But, given the (no doubt) varying ages of the audience and certain rules for the locations I have selected to post the story, the version on FF.N (although this chapter **is** still "R" and it won't effect all chapters), will be a slightly variation off the full, gory-details to retain its rating and abide by the laws of the site.  Why?  Because I'm a stickler for that kinda thing, even if I know it's one of those "nobody pays attention" back-and-forths.  It's easier for me to post a cleaner (if slightly shorter) copy than reload the whole freaking thing.

SO!  Mediaminer will have the original version of anything that I think may be a little questionable, and Fanfiction will have the safe-type posting.  **Please consider ratings seriously and responsibly **(that can count as my little warning to be safe since the story has really been more PG-13 until now, but we're moving into more adult situations that definitely fit with the high rating…)  

But now that _that _is out of the way, I'll take me nice moment to roll around in the reviews and giggle at how sweet and wonderful you all our.  Gershon… I just have to mention you again, there are times I want to crawl through the computer and grab your mouth-er hands… heh… you know what I mean, but then I remember doing so would stop you from leaving me those beautiful reviews!  -happy sounds-  And to Sylvannastar for commiserating (and mocking) my moments of sniffling at the evil Youko muse who has seen fit to take up residence on my head.  But I absolutely adore you all, my junkies, my darling repeats, and my new readers… -laughs and shakes head-  Kazusa's never going to let me live this down.  But reeeeally enough from me… so~ Enjoy! ^__^

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Behind Every Good Man~

            Something warm was brushing up along her spine.

The out of place sensation was slowly drawing her up out of the layers of blackness she had been enjoying for the night after the unpredictable stresses of the day before it, too rhythmic and patterned to be dismissed.  She fought against the urge to wake stubbornly, muttering out a few half-hearted threats to whatever it was that was bringing her to consciousness before she was damn good and ready.  Souta might not be able to beat her in a fight, but he had the advantage of knowing she wouldn't _really_ hurt him, but when she'd jammed her thumbs into his ribs to stop the taunts falling from his mouth about her "boy kitsune," he'd started that high-pitched shrieking that never failed to give her a splitting headache in five minutes or less.  Usually the lingering kind that was still manifesting itself in a dull ache that she was in no hurry to confront by leaving her slumbering state early. 

            _Brat knows it too,_ she absently swatted behind her, doing her best to ignore the increasing pressure of that touch.  _Self-defense, my ass, he perfected that sound when we were kids just for me._

Apparently, whatever was prodding at her began to get impatient, and before she'd started to sink back down gratefully into her healing void, she could feel it take definite shape… fingers, sliding down over the curve of her hip just before giving her a quick pinch.

            Kagome jolted with a yelp, breathing in sharply as her mind temporarily made an effort reoriented to her surroundings without opening her eyes.  But then, just as quickly sliding back down into that dazed state just on the edge of sleep when her senses failed to bring her any threatening aura in her vicinity, "Do that again and you're going to lose those fingers.  I'm tired, and I'm sure it's still dark out, so go entertain yourself away from me." 

When she heard the low chuckle so close to her ear, Kagome let out an exasperated sigh even as the wave of anticipation flushed through her system, warring with the instant increase of her desire to escape the well-known path her subconscious had chosen to walk tonight, _Oh god… I really do _not_ need this kind of dream right now_.  _I just have to "fall asleep" again, it'll all go away-_

            "You sleep like the dead, don't you, my beautiful little miko?" the soft words were barely a whisper, warm breath fanning over her neck to send a chill that had little to do with cold traveling down her spine.  Something about the sound of his voice brought a faint murmuring to the back of her mind, instincts telling her that there was something she needed to rouse to deal with immediately, but it was just too much effort to reach for such things when she was still oddly fuzzy amidst the clarity of the memory.  

And yet… amidst that clarity, the stirrings of unease faded away when she realized exactly what she was remembering, right down to the pattern of the shoji that came into focus when she convinced her eyes to finally open a bare slit.  Her brow furrowed curiously, waiting for that stroke down her back to come again and let her center on the feel of her own flesh, sighing out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when it failed to brush against any irregularities in the skin.  This was an older memory… from a time she dearly missed…

_It had to be that kiss_, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to curl in on herself and ignore the warm body behind her.  _No one has… I never could…  _Damn_ him for making me remember_.

"I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't wake you in time," he continued on, obviously completely unaware of her internal struggles to banish the images around her and retreat to the safety of oblivion. 

            "You got kicked out of bed again, didn't you?" Kagome muttered back sourly when she finally registered the amusement in his comment and gave into the push to participate.  She felt a pang of guilt for taking out her frustration on her own dreams, but at the same time, it _was_ a dream.  She could vent to this version of Miroku without having to worry about hurting feelings, but she still let herself smile and soften her tone when she added to show she really didn't mind the disruption _too_ much, "Hentai."

            "Desire is the most simple honesty, Kagome," he returned loftily, the hand now identified as the "something" that had brought her up to the dream curving over her hip soothingly and giving her a light squeeze.  "Don't tell me you have let yourself think otherwise?"

Kagome burrowed back under into the pillow Inuyasha had made for her in his efforts to mimic the comforts he recalled from her room to make her more at ease with a groan, _Trust Miroku to say such things_.  She shook her head in exasperation and ignored that question for one of her own, "What time is it?"

            "Late," he answered after a brief pause, the futon dipping as much as it could under the added weight when he moved to slide down beneath the blankets behind her.  His right arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her backwards until she was snugly tucked up against him from shoulder to ankle, brushing his palm over her stomach before he settled for resting it flat below her navel, "After the creatures of evening have returned to their beds and before the rest have risen for the day."

            "It's pretty damn obnoxious when you wax poetic at ungodly hours of the morning," she grumbled into the futon, but she was sighing as she let herself melt back into his warmth, the strength that radiated through her from the touch of skin on skin even as it more fiercely stirred that rational part of her mind she was struggling to ignore.  "And why do you always have to wake me up when you crawl in here?  You know you don't have to ask, but I really _am_ tired.  Can we try again tomorrow?"

            Another long beat of silence had her brow starting to furrow at the divergence from the normal course of the dream, wondering why Miroku was hesitating so often at moments where his responses always seemed to roll off his lips with enviable ease no matter what time of the day or night, _That's strange… he so quiet.  And he feels so hot this time.  Is this a fever dream?  Ah shit, I hope I wasn't out in the rain that long_, _that's all I need_-

            The arm around her waist shifted, bringing his touch sliding back along the dip of her waist in a more purposeful way.  One that had her body tingling with reawakened urges while the edges of her grogginess finally began to fade away under a more important and infinitely more enjoyable sensation, "I will undoubtedly remember your wishes for our future such nights, Kagome."

            _This is so unbelievably unfair,_ that part of her mind reserved for self-preservation started actively trying to prod her into actually waking up again when it became apparent she wasn't about to be given the chance to go back to sleep before this dream went in an entirely different direction.  Those same teasing instincts that had served her so well since their appearance were warning her that there would be no stopping this from playing out if she didn't succeed before the dream could really get going.  Fairly screaming at her to get out while it was weak, before her memories could fill her with thoughts and feelings better left buried back in the recesses of her subconscious where they had effectively lain dormant until a certain overconfident kitsune had gone and stirred them back up.  

"I'm going back to sleep now," she informed him in what she hoped was a convincing voice, catching his hand and lacing their fingers together before it could start with its infamous wandering. 

            "But there is so much time to be lost in the hours of sleep," his laughter skated along her senses as effectively as any caress, and she gave into the urge to kick her heel back against his shin when he stretched out languidly and nipped at her ear.  Unfortunately for her, the little attack only served to heighten his laughter, encouraging him to slide his tongue soothingly over that light sting he'd just caused her.        

"That's the point," she squeaked when his other arm slid underneath her, hooking her hip and giving her a pull to disrupt her sideline position.  More of her tenuous hold on escape was pushed beyond her reach with a jolt when she fell forward enough that she was sprawled out on her stomach, the futon rustling and leaning with the change in his own position until she was certain he was propping his head up on his elbow to look down on his "handiwork."  

_Probably with that little "I win" smile on his face too_, she blew out a sigh, still not quite ready to give up on her return to the lovely blackness of deeper sleep, even if it _was_ to play out a warmer memory of her husband.  It was still only a memory, and when it had faded away, she'd be left with nothing but her own body heat warming the covers and an ache in her body that she had no way to fill.

_And a houseful of youkai who will know exactly what I'm thinking about_.

Not to mention… something about this dream just felt… off.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Kagome tried to convince her uncooperative mind to work to put her finger on the cause of the sensation when she felt him move.  The warmth of his body hovered over her back, breath puffing between her shoulder blades when his mouth opened to press a slow, lingering kiss to the center of her back, touching the tip of his tongue to the skin and effortlessly scattering her every effort to the four winds.

"But I _am_ 'so clever,'" he mimicked her tone of voice just to hear her snort, bending his head to repeat the kiss the moment she had.

She could practically taste his smile when the tension melted out of her body, sprawling her out with a quiet moan that readily displayed her torn desires despite her best attempts to act unaffected, "You aren't going to settle down until you get your way, are you?"

Those lips spread into a delighted smile against her, the arm under her body tightening to lift her well enough that he could press himself against her snugly yet again.  This time, however, she could feel a subtle change, a sort of confidence that didn't fit even as the almost burning warmth of his skin against hers overwhelmed her senses, "No."

_Why can't I tell I feel cold until he touches me?  And why is it so hot now?_ Kagome's hands fisted beneath her, a part of her resenting the way she could respond so quickly to a fantasy.  Even if it had happened once, had been real to her, she _knew_ this wasn't real this time, so- _Why can't I wake up?_!

"I am singularly un-ignorable, you know," he purred against her ear, tracing her spine from her neck all the way down to her tailbone with the very tip of his pinkie.

The moment that observation registered, Kagome went perfectly still, _Miroku… uses his forefinger when he does that._

Almost as though he'd sensed the way her thoughts were turning suspicious, one of his hands slid down the length of her arm until he was holding her hand against the futon to prevent her from rolling over, breathing in deeply when he rested his cheek on her head, "Do you always smell as delicious as you taste?"

Tentatively she tugged at her hand, wary now in the light hold Miroku would always release for her, and feeling her heart start to race when the hand holding her uncharacteristically tightened, "I think… you should let go now."

"Why are you fighting me?" his voice was curious, but she could hear the teasing lilt in it easily even as she frowned at the actual words.  "You know I can make your body burn, Kagome.  Why won't you let me show you how it should feel?" he managed to disengage the fingers of the hand she had been unwittingly clutching, using them to gather the thick curtain of her hair and sweep it out of his way.

She could feel his eyes roaming her back, burning wherever they touched just as clearly as his hands while he did no more than rest over her with those charged words hanging in the air.  Her confusion and unease grew when he shifted his position again, throwing one leg over both of hers before she could even tense to lift herself and look at the face of this person invading her dream, _What's going on?  That's… Miroku would never speak to me like that!  It wasn't like _that_ between us!  He was never so aggressive-_

"Shhh," the sound of his voice started to shift, wavering in the timbre until the mellow sound had twisted from the familiar pitch and dropped into something foreign.  Something that poured through her like the purest sake Miroku had once stolen from Sesshoumaru's cellars and shared with them… all liquid fire numbing her mind and paralyzing her inhibitions before they could kick in as it skated along her heightened awareness with the precision of a blade's edge, "You have no reason to ever think I would bring you harm.  You are… safe in my hands, my elusive little miko.  Safe and treasured…"

"How did you get into my head?" Kagome hissed out the demand, trying to hold her body stiff when he brushed his chest against her back in the process of getting his mouth to her shoulder.  _Stop saying such things to me in such a serious tone,_ she bit back on that command with effort, somehow knowing that to make that demand would only fuel his odd behavior.

"You invited me," he answered calmly, letting her feel the ripple everywhere they were in contact as the image from _her_ mind melted away, stretching and changing until her heart was skipping a beat at the way that body over her remolded itself.  "Don't you remember?"

The only thing keeping her from going into a blind panic was her complete surety that the person behind her was in no way related to Naraku or the creatures of the past who haunted her nightmares in their search for power and blood… This person didn't vibrate that way, or exude anything she could call a truly evil aura, but she was still holding onto her control by the barest thread.  Who would want to be in her mind when she was asleep if not someone from the past?  More importantly-

"What do you want?" she voiced the thought as soon as it came to her, gritting her teeth against the desire to arch when his fingertip reversed to make the journey back up her spine with painstaking slowness.

He paused and she could feel his surprise bounce back through her before he let out a sigh and eased down until his body was fitted along hers in their new position, using the hand not restraining her to come forward and lightly grasp her chin.  He tilted her face up just enough to stretch out her neck, stroking his thumb along her jaw and dropping his voice, "I was under the impression you already knew what lovers do when the shoji are closed for the night."

If he hadn't brought his chin to rest on her shoulder, the way that remark made her head snap up likely would have done him some damage rather than make that melodic chuckle vibrate through her again, "_What?!_"

"Am I wrong?" something glinted in her peripheral vision, a flash of white in the narrowing shadows as the vision around her began to shift and change, melting away until the only clarity was the futon… and the man holding her so very close.

_Were those... fangs?_ Kagome's stomach lurched in a completely inappropriate fashion once she'd made that particular observation, widening her eyes as the mortified thought that she might indirectly give this youkai the slightest encouragement.  She violently kicked herself when he made a satisfied sound, right back to nuzzling the side of her neck, _Please don't be that kind of youkai… please don't sense-_

"That's better," he somehow managed to work his hand down underneath her to splay his fingers wide on her stomach, effectively turning the chant in her head to a creative line of cursing she credited entirely to Inuyasha.  "So stubborn… why are you still fighting when we both know that you want me to touch you?"

_Well so much for that last piece of dignity_, she would have drummed her fingers against the bedding if her hands had been free… or more accurately, if she hadn't been clenching them into fists with her efforts to stave of the inexplicable willingness to relax and listen to that beautiful voice.

            "Is it so horrible a thing?" she could feel him tilt his head curiously to one side, his eyelashes tickling the skin behind her ear when he moved to press a trail of kisses down the side of her neck again.  "To dream of me?  Of the way it felt to let me make your blood burn?"

            Kagome's eyes squeezed closed, clenching her jaw when some wicked little part of her mind that had grown tired of being silent began to poke at her, whispering to her about the foolishness of denying herself even in dreams.  What was the harm in indulging in a little fantasy with her promises to the past fulfilled and her body in the present still uncomfortably alive from a kiss she could still taste on her tongue?

            She tried to hold herself stiff when this dream youkai seemed to sense the way her resolve was wavering, the hand on her stomach caressing up to her ribs and back down while those roaming kisses began to slow.  With her hair flung out casually across the pillows, there were no obstacles for the lick traveling up the center of her neck, his hand flexing to squeeze her fingers when her own curled in reflex.

            _Damn it, Kagome, snap out of it! _she hissed at herself furiously, even as she allowed her face to be moved again, this time being turned back just enough for him to cover her mouth with his own.  _This isn't a harmless dream to play around in… this is a youkai who invaded your head, who pretended to be Miroku to get you in this position, who- oh gods he feels good as Kurama.  I just-ah!  _No_. Now is _not_ the time to do such things!_

            "Dreams are an echo of our waking desires, Kagome," he whispered into her mouth, the hands on her suddenly tightening to flip her over onto her back, not giving her the time she needed to gather up a defense before he had covered her body with his own.  One leg shifted, pushing her knees farther apart to settle between her legs as both hands slid up her ribs, giving off an aura that he was drinking in every inch of her before they finished their journey at the sides of her head and sunk into her hair, "They show us the things we try and stop ourselves from feeling when we think too much."

            Kagome's eyes snapped open, startled and blinking furiously when she found their surroundings had changed, shrouded in a darkness that hid his face from her, "What-?"

            "But even in your dreams you are trying to think too much, aren't you?" he cut her off smoothly, letting out a deep sigh of relish when his weight shifted against her.  "I can feel you, you know… I can feel how much you want me."

            Kagome could have cried, her hands coming up with every intention of shoving him away from her even if it meant using purification.  And yet… the moment her hands touched his sides, they betrayed her.  Fingers softened, and against her attempts to tell herself not to, she found herself curiously tracing the lines of muscle around to his back, _This is wrong, this is stupid, this is- _

She could feel his hair brush across her shoulder when he moved, trailing open-mouthed kisses to her ear so he could be certain she felt him whisper, "Where's the harm in letting yourself have a fantasy?  In dreaming?"

            Kagome swallowed hard, unaware of the way her fingers dug into his back or the way she moved to brush her thighs against his hips, "Because I shouldn't be dreaming of you."

            He let out a snort, removing one hand from her hair to slide it under her backside and pull her up against him, waiting for the gasp of realization until he answered, "You should be dreaming_ only_ of me."

            _Only?_ her head fell back, breathing out a shaky sigh when he seemed to lose interest in talking for a moment and went back to nibbling down her throat just enough to make her skin tingle.  _Oh gods… how does he know how to do this to me?  Why can't I stop him?_  _Do I-?  Is he telling the truth?  This is _my_ dream?_

            "I won't stop you if you want to touch me," he urged her softly, laughter still coloring his voice as he rubbed his cheek against hers in a show of affection.  "Aren't you curious to see what your soul is craving?  What your dreams are telling you?"

            Something about the way he spoke made it almost seem like a challenge, a taunt that she was afraid of her own mind that twinged across her pride just enough to draw her focus completely away from her efforts to kick them both out of this dream.  In the safety of the enveloping darkness and the sense that his face was again hidden against her throat, she could feel her brows draw together in irritation, _I don't believe it… I'm dreaming of a youkai who just mocked me in my own head about a twisted dream?_

            Her eyebrow twitched, biting down on a new moan that tried to escape when he took the muscle of her shoulder in his teeth a bit more firmly than before, _Screw it… there's no way I wouldn't have felt an attack on my mind that would take this much power or not be able to sense if this really was a youkai.  And I'm not about to let a figment of my imagination make fun of me this way._

            The first indication that she managed to surprise him was the way that body pressed so intimately against her own went rigid, his breath catching in his throat noticeably enough to bring the twist of a smirk to her lips.  Her hand was fisted in his hair almost before she realized it had moved, glorying in that inhumanly silky texture she loved so much as she bent to hiss back at him, "Don't think I don't know how to handle the things that haunt my thoughts, and don't ever think I'm afraid of them."

            Another flash in the darkness when she allowed him to raise his head, letting her verify that she had indeed put fangs onto her mysterious partner for this fantasy, "Is that so?"

            Kagome nodded, unaware of if he could actually see it or not, "I can always purify you out of my head."  _Even if Sesshoumaru would kick my ass for turning a purification in on myself like that…_

            A bark of delighted laughter answered the threat, and he'd kissed the tip of her nose before she could do more than open her mouth to scold the new sound of amusement, "Ah, little miko… perhaps you could, but where would the fun be in removing me from your thoughts when you put me here in the first place?"

            _So maybe it really is all me,_ Kagome couldn't help that thought with a faint sigh of long suffering when she sensed his head tipping to one side, tasting the almost boyish grin that had to be gracing his face.  _It's like a weird version of Miroku…with fangs.  And the hair… and the- ah hell, Shippou's right.  I really am a freak_.

            He cleared his throat suggestively, moving his head to remind her that she hadn't yet released the fistful of his hair, "You are thinking when you should be touching me."

            _A freak with an impatient, perverted libido_, she corrected herself even as that mouth was back on hers, lips parted and demanding she respond to him with a hint of… irritation?  He was angry that she wasn't paying attention?  _Oh gods, what's wrong with my head if this is what I come up with for my first fantasy in years?_

            But even as she had the strange urge to laugh at herself, first for being so paranoid and second for the actual image she'd created to play with, her body was sinking back into the bedding as she felt her arm draw him closer, _It _is _a dream… what could it hurt?_

            The moment Kagome stopped holding herself away from him, actually leaned up into the kiss with her hands pulling him close and her mouth opening for him, his entire demeanor changed.  Arms wound tightly around her back, arching her chest up against him even as his head angled and that kiss turned into something that nearly scalded her mind.  Her eyes went wide for a split second before they were slipping closed again, an almost helpless whine being swallowed by his mouth when she instinctively tried to get even closer.

            This was not the way she was used to.

            Kagome could feel her heart start to race, body trembling when she felt the fingers grow claws, the tips digging lightly into her skin as he rocked against her with a growling sound of satisfaction.  Her head fell back against the pillow with a startled gasp when he finally released her mouth, sliding down her body with all the confidence in the world to nip here and there before soothing the spots with a puff of air or a pass of his tongue.

            Her hands had sunk back into his hair again, tightening instinctively to hold him close as her thoughts struggled to right themselves and process just where she could have possibly come up with this- this kind of feeling.  She could hear him murmuring to her, but it was impossible to make out the actual words with the way her blood was rushing in her ears or the way her breath seemed to gasp out impossibly loud in the stillness around them.  She couldn't even work up the urge to be irritated when she felt his lips split in a smug smile against her heart, instead hooking one of her legs around his hips to pull him down at the same time she rolled her hips up.

            He was chuckling again, but this time there was an edge to it, dark and full of promise as his hand found one of her wrists again and shoved it down beside her head.  She could feel him rear up, pinning her down with the weight of his lower body while that other hand fisted in the hair at the back of her head and tilted it back until her eyes opened to see the flash of green and gold as the darkness pulled away to show her his silhouette.

            _That's-!?_ Kagome's mouth fell open, the shout of stunned accusation hovering on her lips only to be devoured when he dipped his head to treat her to another of those absolutely bone-melting kisses.  Especially when he coupled those talented lips with the purposefully teasing glide of his body along hers.

            Kagome sucked a deep gasp of air into her burning lungs when he reluctantly drew back, his eyes gleaming down at her with almost frightening intensity as his fingers smoothed her hair and slipped around to caress her cheek.  He'd hooked one finger under her chin, pushing slightly to tilt it up until he was completely certain she was lost in his eyes before he dropped his voice to that low, silky whisper that seemed to seep into every corner of her soul.

            "Do you love me yet, honey?"

~*~*~*~

            Kagome shot up in bed, gripping her heart and gasping under the wave of heat that flushed through her body even as her mind registered the brush of cool night air against her sweat-dampened skin.  She sat panting in the dark, lifting a badly shaking hand to rake through her hair impatiently and shove the mass back out of her face with more force than was really necessary.

            Her eyes closed, bringing both hands down flat in front of her as she bit down hard on her lip and tried unsuccessfully to banish the pulsing ache that filled every part of her body.

            "_Shit_," Kagome hissed out, trying not to give into the self-deprecating laugh when even her voice wavered and cracked on that single word, no amount of effort convincing her nerves to settle back into dormancy.  _There is no chance in hell I'm getting back to sleep after that… _

            Shaking her head, she started to turn with every intention of taking a long shower when she felt something tighten and restrict that simple move.  Startled, her eyes flew open with a flash and she stared down with renewed focus and disbelief at the delicate vines she could see wrapped around and around her body through the twisted blankets.  Her mouth slowly dropped open, brows lifting as she belatedly felt the youki twisting and spiking thickly in the air around her.

            With a growl of frustration, she twisted around and just as quickly fell over with a cry of surprise when she found the bloom of her little plant open wide and glowing deep violet as it pulsed rhythmically right beside her head.  Unfortunately that was enough to upset her balance and send her tumbling off the edge of the bed, only to stop before she hit the cold bamboo when the vines tightened and held her suspended.

            The rose slithered forward, tilting to one side and "smiling" at her in the darkness when a blistering string of curses finally erupted from her mouth, helping her right herself to her own two feet but keeping its hold when her knees tried to buckle.

            "This is _your_ fault!" Kagome finally recovered enough to point at the rose accusingly, sinking both hands into her hair with a sound of impatience when she noted the shaking hadn't decreased in the slightest.  "Wait… no, that's wrong.  Kurama.  Kurama gave you to me…  Did Kurama give me that dream?"

            Somewhere in her mind, she realized how silly it was to be hissing this conversation at a flower, even if the flower _did_ have a rather defined youki and had proven intelligence to some extent.  But when it separated another little vine and tapped at her heart before giving her its version of a shrug, she wanted badly to just throttle the thing.

            Kagome took a deep breath to resist the urge, sitting on the edge of the bed when it gave her a tug in that direction and seemed to chitter at her, as though scolding her for standing when it could feel the weakness in her legs, "He did, didn't he?  You're some sort of weird sex-dream plant thing, and he left you for Shippou to bring to me so you could do that!"

            The rose snorted, slowly unwinding the vines from around her to slide back up to its usual place in her hair as it tried to soothe her with long, comforting strokes.  For a moment it seemed to tilt as though considering something… or hearing something she couldn't before it nodded and rubbed under her chin.

            "You're talking to him, aren't you?" Kagome groaned and dropped her head into her hands.  "Does he know I dreamed… that?"

            In answer, it curled back up into a bud and squirmed under her hands to poke the end of her nose with a sound that was oddly reminiscent of a child's kiss.

            "Then tell him I'm going to kill him."

            It patted her on the back, making a soft sound of comfort while the retracting vines rejoined and curled around her throat, giving off the vibration that it wanted to reassure her that everything was okay.  After all it was normal to be thinking such things for someone as beautiful and talented as Kurama, and she had already shown that she didn't _mind_ kissing him, and-

            "_Stop_ that!" Kagome hissed out furiously, reaching up and gripping the vines as she took a deep breath to temper her own reaction.  _Damn, I have to take responsibility… He's right; I practically invited him in.  I let this thing wrap around me and draw off of me…  That's why I couldn't feel him, I was feeding him the power to work_.

            The rose continued to pat her, making a little grumbling sound that had her covering her eyes with one hand and gritting out, "Tell him to stop passing on images for tonight or I swear to whatever gods he likes worshipping in that evil brain of his that the next time I see him, I'll rip out his intestines and hang him off the nearest tree."

            _And now it's laughing at me… Just lovely,_ she could have cried, body still wound up with unbearable frustration while this rose continued to pass along the torturous heat from that damn kitsune's imagination, making her body ache and pulse.

            "I am going to shower… and _you_ are going to stay here so that I don't have to know he's laughing at me, do I make myself clear?" Kagome clenched her jaw, waiting until the rose had obediently untangled and curled up on her pillow like a little snake, clucking at her in what she translated with its renewed impressions to a warning not to be gone too long.

            Kagome leaned over, cupping the bud in her hand and focusing on it seriously to be certain it really _was_ passing along its "reports" to her so-called dream lover before she whispered out, "If I start understanding this plant any more, Kurama, I'm going to maim you in a way that will make it difficult to act on your perverted little fantasies for at least a century.  Now stop encouraging whatever this thing is to put _your_ thoughts in _my_ head or I'll let Sesshoumaru kill it when he sees it."

            Again that bud stretched up and "kissed" her nose before nodding and lying back down, but not before she felt the youki around it swell as a whisper echoed clear as day in her head, _You're very sexy when you're threatening me._

            She turned on her heel and stalked out as regally as she could manage with her legs still refusing to work properly for her, gritting her teeth to tune out the wheezing laughter behind her and the deeper, more seductive murmur that had yet to cease it's run through her consciousness.

            _Do you love me yet?_

~*~*~*~

            Kurama abruptly snapped back to himself with a strangled shout, barely catching himself on his forearms against the slick tiled wall of Yuusuke's shower before he pitched forward and managed to hit his head.  His muscles spasmed against the twining vines of his roses, feeling too tight beneath his skin as he panted under the rivulets of steaming water sliding over his body like a lover's fingers-

            _YOUKO!!_ he snarled out furiously, clenching his jaw so hard it was a wonder he didn't shatter the bones.

            '_What?  I think that went rather well, don't you?_' Youko was full-on preening, nose up and grooming his hair with extreme precision as he answered his other side's warning tone. 

            _You said we were going to look for the answer to our suspicions in her subconscious!_ Kurama reminded him in a low growl, shuddering with the effects of the unfulfilled and practically savage desires pounding in their veins.

            '_And we did._'

            _You almost had sex with her right _there!

            '_I have remarkable restraint, don't I?_' his smile turned predatory, lifting a hand to slide his tongue over the tips of his fingers and taste the sweat clinging to the skin.  '_She wouldn't have stopped us if you hadn't insisted on backing out and letting her mind go like that.  Although it was surprising how strong the net was…  I don't think I've ever been able to ensnare someone so completely as-_'

            _Youko, you're rambling,_ Kurama took a deep, shuddering breath, closing his eyes and leaning forward to rest his forehead on the cooler wall of the shower as he fought his own battle for control of their resisting body.

            '_I am not, I'm merely observing!_' he sounded insulted at the implication.  '_It shouldn't have been so strong a connection.  Even _we_ were drawn into it completely, and that's never happened before._'

            _It could just be that she really is as weak as she claims to be, even if she is the reincarnated wife of that monk_, Kurama pointed out, shaking his head as he finally gave in to Youko, giving him enough control to speed along their recovery.  It was definitely one of his better points about having a side like him, Youko could shake off sexual frustration with admirable ease and recover their strength so rapidly when he actually wanted to, _Aren't you the one who went off about how hard it is to escape kitsune seduction?_

            '_Kitsune seduction, yes, but the function of that particular rose is just to make a net so we can pass along what we want her dreaming of,_' Youko instructed patiently, his tone full of calculation and lingering curiosity.  '_We should have been directing and watching it play out, but we were _there,_ not just echoing.  That's never happened before._'

            _But you're not upset over it_.

            '_Oh hell no!  What gave you that idea?_' Youko's brows rose in amazement at that.  '_This way was so much more fun!_'

            Kurama groaned, mechanically reaching for the shampoo Youko had deemed appropriate to use on their hair and worked it into a lather, trying to use the simple motion to take his mind off the dream-inspired lusts the kitsune was still letting curl sinuously through their body, _Youko-_

            '_What?  I _like_ feeling it_.'

            _It's making it difficult for _me_ to think_, he pointed out, tilting his head back to rinse the soap from his hair.

            '_There are certain times of the day when it's perfectly natural to want to think only of our pretty lover and the fun we're going to have when she's in this shower with us,_' Youko sighed and gave the impression of flopping over on his back, trailing his claws slowly down over his own chest with a twisted smile.  '_The more we touch her mind and her body, Kurama, the more I like her.  Did you feel her?  Whoever her lover was before didn't teach her the right way, she was surprised at what we-_'

            _Youko, _please!_  Can I at least finish and get us to where we can sit down before you start picking apart what we just did?_ he demanded impatiently, having to reach out and brace his hand against the wall again when the renewed jolt of lust made his balance waver.

            '_Ch… human failings_,' Youko snorted and flicked a hand, taking over with a sort of clinical efficiency before he reached for the conditioner and took great pains in making sure he'd treated every last strand.  '_How many times do I have to tell you that we should be using this to make us stronger?  Gods, Kurama, can't you feel that energy we just pulled out of her?_'

            _Youko, if you were taking in her life energy during that dream, so help me-_ Kurama hissed out at him despite his allowance for physical control.

            '_So help you, what?  You'll strangle yourself and hope I can feel it?_' Youko smirked as he lazily slid the soap across their chest the same way he'd trailed his claws over their soul only moments before.  '_I'll take over as soon as you pass out and I won't let you wake up until after I've had sex with Kagome at least twice.  Then I might let you watch._'

            _You aren't in control enough for that, so stop posturing at me_, Kurama sighed and rolled his eyes, shivering to the depths of their being at the way Youko was purposefully teasing their hypersensitive skin.  _Neither of us can win against the other, we both know it_.

            '_Indeed, so stop acting like you can threaten me just for taking a little taste_,' he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he let his memory fill their senses with that faint scent he'd managed to take in from her body.  '_I want to drink in everything about her, Kurama, and so do you.  So help _me,_ I'm not going to let your inhibitions stop us from experiencing our miko in every possible way._'

            _Slowly!_ Kurama shot back at him.  _Gods, Youko, slowly!  If we rush it, we'll scare her, and she has enough youkai around her to make taking her away more than a little obnoxious._

            Youko made an impatient nose, twisting sensuously under the water just to get Kurama hissing while he made an absent gesture with his hand to reverse the vines of his roses and carefully tuck the seed back into his hair as he rinsed off, '_You felt her react when we touched her, Kurama.  She's ready to give into us, we just have to be aggressive and show her that.  If you back off you'll give her time to get confused, or worse, give that damn Sesshoumaru time to make her doubt her feelings.  She wants to be ours._'

            _We just have to show her?_ Kurama returned dryly, swallowing hard and trying to count down his temper and quell the need to snarl at Youko for behaving so irritatingly arrogant to himself.

            '_Absolutely!  You felt it too, I know you did,_' he sighed happily as he turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping the towel around their waist in case Yuusuke's children were still awake before crossing the hall to their room.  '_She was crying for us._'

            _She wants to kill me,_ he pointed out, smacking himself in the head when Youko flopped over on Hiei's bed before grasping their hair in both hands and wringing out the excess water.

            '_She's just embarrassed_,' Youko waved that off with a toss of his head that managed to fling even more water up across the pillows.  '_Once she knows there's nothing to worry about, she'll settle down.  Besides, if she tries to throw us again, we can just twist around to be sure she's on the bottom and then we'll start with the shir-_'

            _Gods, Youko, how many ways do you have to start a sexual fantasy?_

            There was a silent moment where the kitsune blinked, cocking his head to one side and asking curiously, '_The short list or the long one?_'

            _How has our head not exploded again?_ Kurama rubbed at his temples, breathing out a sigh of relief when Youko finally got off the hybrid's bed to flop over naked on their own.  _Clothes?  Youko, you forgot-_

            '_Why put them on when I'm just going to have to change them again?_' something about the way he said that sent shivers down Kurama's spine, and before he could let his morbid curiosity get the better of him, he felt him drag one of their hands across their abdomen with meaningful slowness.

            _Youko_, Kurama started to drawl out, trying to sit up when he was stalled by a shake of their head.  _We have other things to be concerned with right now.  We have to make plans for tomorrow, prepare for the meeting with Sesshoumaru, we-_

            '_Relax, Kurama…_' Youko's low chuckle stopped the almost panicked rambling, propping himself up on his elbow as his eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness before they slipped closed and he pulled them both down into reliving their very recently made memory.'_Remember?  I'm good at this._'


	24. Speaking in Circles

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -giggling- Mou, that plant is getting so much attention!  LOL, but to answer all the questions about it's origins, it's just a made up thing from me.  It's not in the show, or the manga, it was just an idea for a little thing that I wanted in the story.  So I guess the little plant-rose thing is mine…  -shrugs at the thought and shakes head-  Ah well, sometimes an idea works better than you think it will.  

Now as to all of my beautiful reviewers, again, you are wonderful and I absolutely adore you.  I know my junkies have been suffering lately with the time between updates, but the chapters are getting longer, and that's extending the time.  Well, that and constraints from real life, which is unfortunate but true.  –siiigh-  But the longer I write this story, the more indepth my reviews seem to get!  ^__^  I just love it when you tell me the things you were thinking and what you like when you read through it.  –blushes and rubs head- Especially since I was nervous about that last chapter.  It turned out how I wanted, but still, that material?  -snort- I was so worried…  BUT!  That really should be enough from me this time… I think…  -ponders-  If I missed a question someone asked, I'm sorry, and I'll try to go through them again to double check.  In the meantime, enjoy~!  

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Speaking in Circles~

            _If you don't stop fidgeting, I'm going to cut your head off and save this youkai Lord the trouble_, Hiei could feel his eyebrow trying to twitch, gritting his teeth against that sign of irritation when Kurama turned a perfectly bland expression back on him.  He could still see the taunt behind those eyes, Youko's mockery manifesting in threads of gold that were gone almost as quickly as they had appeared.

            _I haven't moved, Hiei_.

            _Not you, the _other_ kitsune living in your empty little head,_ his eyes narrowed fractionally for his sadistic amusement, knowing full well they were doing it just to get on his nerves.  He was the only one who could sense when Youko was in a playful mood and pushing at his confines in their shared body after all, and there were definitely times he was certain they got bored and milked it for all it was worth, _Stop it and I _might _consider letting you live long enough to actually make it to this goddamn meeting_.    

'_You're being unusually uptight,_' Youko snorted and brushed off the icy scowl the hybrid had managed to perfect sending into their head without batting an eyelash.  '_Still mad about the bed?_'

            Kurama barely caught himself from laughing outright at the violence glowing in the look that remark earned them at reminding him of what exactly had happened when the hybrid had returned and sat down without first checking the condition of the blankets.  But Hiei managed to get himself under control somewhat before he spat out in disgust, _I suppose I should at least be grateful that you moved to your own bed before you decided to fuck yourself for the night_.

            '_So crude_,' Youko was grinning widely, crowing in triumph when he saw the miniscule tick in the muscle of the shorter youkai's jaw.  '_One would almost think you were jealous with your fixation on our recent issues… but if it means so very much to you, I can always wait for you the next time.  I don't mind if you want to watch me touch mys-_'

            _Finish that and die_.

            '_Flirt_.'

            Hiei had audibly sucked in a breath to respond to that, eyes flashing bright with enraged fire, when they were interrupted by a Kurabara's voice calling out loudly across the crowded platform, "Oi!  Urameshi, Kurama!  Over here!"

            Kurama smiled faintly when the rather evil light died down to a sour look on Hiei's face and redirected towards the man waving at them with one hand, lifting one of his own to hide that little smile when he observed, "Don't feel left out.  He probably just can't see you, you know."

            _On the assumption that I give half a flaming damn about that idiot thug's greeting, you are not making the situation any better_, he remarked dryly, but the way his expression had smoothed easily displayed he'd regained the control Youko had managed to disrupt with his antics.

            '_You're such a touchy chibi,_' Youko taunted him, snickering at the new twitch he'd managed to get out of the hybrid.  '_Come now… aren't you a little offended that your probably soon-to-be in-law just stiffed you on a welcome?_'

            Before he could get a response to that laughing accusation, they broke through the bulk of the crowd on the platform, predictably dropping Kurabara's focus to the youkai he would often swear was the bane of his very existence.  Well, aside from Yuusuke, that is, but the level of 'bane' tended to vary between them, "Oh, there you are.  Kurama let you hang onto his coat to keep from getting lost?"

            _I can make it look like an accident_.

            _Too convenient for you, Hiei, they'd see right through it_, Kurama patted him on the shoulder with a companionable smile while Yuusuke chuckled at the rather inventive murder he could see dancing through those narrowed claret eyes.  _Is he really worth extending your sentence?_

            _I remain undecided_.

            '_And you say _I _hold grudges,_' Youko snorted in amused disgust.

            _Do not compare my distaste for Kurabara to your petty inability to ignore what you find insulting_, Hiei ordered him crisply, folding his arms as he turned to glare off at some unimportant object in the distance to show he didn't intend to continue the discussion.

Kurabara was clucking his tongue, pulling one hand out of his pocket to take the cigarette out of his mouth as he shook his head and turned serious, "I gotta hand it to you guys… When you start poking around, you really manage to poke the worst spots."

            Redirected from his favorite pastime of tormenting Hiei, Youko turned their head back to the human curiously as he turned and led them away from the crowds of potential ears before Kurama murmured, "What do you mean by that?"

            "I mean work ain't ever been as crazy as it's been lately," he snorted in irritation, pulling his sunglasses out of the breast pocket of his dark suit and slipping them on as they stepped out into the afternoon sun.  "_Everyone's _been called in that can make it, and I've heard rumors that 'everyone' includes all the company directors.  Not just Japan, but all the internationals too.  Even if they haven't shown up, word around the office is they all know about the guys who had the balls to demand interviews with the top man himself."

            Yuusuke blinked and turned to glance back at the two bland-faced youkai before he turned his attention back to Kurabara, a frown creasing his forehead as he demanded, "What the hell are we walking into?"

            _I'd say we hit a nerve_, Hiei slanted Kurama a satisfied look as he simply offered a noncommittal shrug when Yuusuke looked back again.

            _Nice to know we haven't lost our special touch_, Kurama turned his face aside to hide the smirk that played across his lips, absently feeling out to be certain there was no danger around them to delay their meeting.

            "Even Higurashi's back in the office, and she's been off on some hush-hush project for as long as I've worked for the company," Kurabara flicked his hand to knock loose any excess ash before taking in another deep drag.  "She came in with him a few days ago, and he had her taking over for Ankoji-san on the spot.  After that, she's never more than a few feet from Takeharuka."

            Kurama stopped walking, his eyes snapping back to Kurabara with an absolutely frigid edge when that piece of information dropped so casually from his lips, "Higurashi?"  

_That is Kagome's family name, isn't it?_ Hiei arched an eyebrow, pausing in between Kurama and the others when they realized the kitsune was no longer in step.

_He knew about her…  Goddammit, he _knew?  _And he didn't say anything?!_ His eyes narrowed slightly, holding back his anger with effort at the rise in frustration that Youko was doing nothing to suppress.  

Then again… Youko was still in a bit of a mood over their inability to reconnect with her mind after that first explosive success, barely mollified by the knowledge that his rose was still alive and close enough to her to attend to his guarding instructions.  Not even knowing it had more than one chance to take nibbles out of the other irritating kitsune had settled his increasingly shortened temper on the subject.  And now to hear that what Sesshoumaru had ordered him to avoid had been freely given to their only fully human teammate? 

'_He's been seeing her.  In person,_' Youko's low hiss started a twitch through their muscles, his desire to vent his anger on the unsuspecting man making their fingertips itch and burn.

"Yeah, real sweet girl," Kurabara nodded, oblivious to the rapidly darkening ki chilling the air immediately around the youkai.  "She's pretty too, especially her eyes, the guys around the office love talking to her so they can look at her eyes.  She doesn't have any kind of higher energy, and I mean _none_, but she does have this creepy knack for knowing just what Takeharuka wants without him having to say a word.  Rumor around the office is that he had to send her away for something important, and some of the more romantic girls think he's keeping her so close now to make up for lost time."

_Isn't that sweet?_ Hiei drawled out, smirking as he regarded the nearly invisible signs of strain making Kurama's eyes a much more vivid green than normal.  _Making up for lost time-_

_Shut_ up_, Hiei_.

"Funny thing though, I thought she was just a kid the first time I saw her," Kurabara rubbed the back of his head and gave a self-deprecating laugh as he continued to obliviously voice his thoughts.  "She doesn't look as old as she says she is, especially when she's been raiding her brother's closet."

Yuusuke rolled his eyes and nodded in remembrance, "No kidding."

"But then she said she wanted to make the rounds with me, see the security we had," Kurabara's expression twisted into bemusement.  "_That_ was so weird."

Hiei opened his mouth, instinctively closing it again with the deeply ingrained aversion for making conversation with this human in particular before he muttered a few choice words and stubbornly demanded, "In what way?"

He flicked the cigarette into the grass along the sidewalk despite Kurama's blatantly disapproving frown, cocking his head to one side as he tried to put him impressions into the right words, "If I didn't know better, I'd think she'd been involved in a war or two herself… just the questions she would ask, or the things she'd do to our procedures.  She was so precise and serious about it.  Then I _thought_ I heard her say something about tests, but when I asked she said it was an inside joke.  Must've heard wrong."

Yuusuke sighed heavily, folding his arms behind his head with a scowl, "Maybe she's crazy.  She does go from looking all little and sparkly and harmless to that serious face a bit too quickly.  And it sure as hell ain't normal to act like she does to a youkai like this Sesshoumaru guy seems to be, especially if she's a miko."

'_Kindly remind that boy that I will not permit disparaging remarks about the sanity of our lover,_' Youko growled softly, obviously reverting back to his overly elegant mode with his growing displeasure as he leaned back in Kurama's head with his legs crossed.  '_Finding pleasure in the company of youkai does not mean she's a fool or a lunatic even if she is a miko._'

_Just finding pleasure in the company of you_, Hiei's lips quirked up just a hint at the corner, gone before anyone but Kurama had caught it.

_Cute_, _Hiei, real cute_, Kurama resisted the urge to growl with effort.  _And calm down, Youko, he's just talking out what he's thinking.  He doesn't necessarily believe it_.

Hiei snorted.

Kurama could feel his eyebrow twitch when Youko offered his support to the hybrid's silent disagreement, covering his eyes with one hand and rubbing at his temples, We_ know that Kagome is not insane, but if you did something while we were in her soul to make some of her past life leak out_-

'_Don't accuse me of tasteless things,_' Youko cut him off impatiently.  '_Firstly, you would sense if I had been poking around to actually wake up those memories instead of just playing in them.  And second, I am flattered by your faith in me, but even I would have difficulty actually accomplishing something of such precision in a miko's soul.  If you don't know _how_ the power works in detail, it tends to make things messy when you rifle through it_.'

_Not worth it to go fucking up her head before you know how to do it and still have her all to yourself in the end?_ Hiei accused him with an underlying hint of amusement.  _You really are a selfish little bastard_.

'_I have our lover's best interests at heart_,' Youko protested arrogantly.

Hiei continued to stare at Kurama silently for a moment, smiling when he saw the long-suffering irritation on that beautiful face over Youko's… _unique_ thought processes, _You know… I think I'm going to like this girl_.

_Why's that?_ Kurama's brows furrowed at the abrupt, unexpected change.

_Because the chances that you'll succeed in what you're trying with her without ending up tossed on your ass for my personal enjoyment over and over are practically nonexistent,_ Hiei tilted his chin up, laughter bouncing from his mind to Kurama's as he saw the line of the kitsune's shoulders tense.

"Kaze knows more about her than I do," Kurabara continued on, shrugging as he tried to make sense of everything going on, or at least drop some bit of information that the other three could use to help with trying.  "I tried to ask him how they knew each other, but all he would say was that she was a close relation and she wouldn't appreciate if he gossiped about her life."

"You mentioned this Kaze before," Kurama prodded hopefully, blocking out the sounds of Youko and Hiei having another of their 'discussions.'  "Who is he?"

"Nenjuharuka… He's a doctor, officially," he glanced over his shoulder with a grin for the proof that they really were listening attentively.  "Private doctor for the family, or something like that.  Kinda eerie guy, like he's looking through you when you talk to him.  His cousin, Shinju, owns a temple, I think, but he's a lot more laid back.  Has a hand problem though," he held up his right hand and curled his fingers to gesticulate with his words.

_I'm about positive Koenma picked him for this just because he's so damnably thick-headed_, Kurama sighed with a sort of weary resignation.  _These are all things we needed to know, questions that would have helped, but… it's Kurabara.  We didn't ask, so he didn't think to offer_.

_What did you expect?_ Hiei let himself be distracted from the hissing spirit bombarding him with a slew of unpleasant images and thoughts.  _He's more intelligent than he was as a child, but he is still a complete idiot_.

'_Now you're jealous because he has more information about this place than you do,_' Youko clucked his tongue with heavily exaggerated disappointment.  '_How petty of you to have such feelings for a man with such limited capabilities_.  _A human, no less_.'

_If you take your bitchiness out on me one more time today, Youko, I'm going to cut off that poofy attempt at a tail you call hair and shove it up your ass_, he assured him in a perfectly flat tone.

_Try to refrain from insulting my hair, Hiei,_ Kurama shot him a quelling glare, his voice sliding down into reflexive, if somewhat stilted regality.  _I happen to be proud of it, and I know that you're well aware it's not a tail, nor are we using it in place of the ones we have_.

_You're getting as touchy about such things as that shiny-eyed moron in your head_.

'_I dare you to say that again when I'm the one on top, you little-_!'

"What about Higurashi?" Yuusuke demanded, the disgust threaded through his voice making it very clear he'd reached the same conclusion while they were busing trying to outdo each other with their silent battle.

"She's a trainer of some sort from what I can gather, but she's high up there in Takeharuka's eyes," Kurabara paused, leaning his weight against the building beside them as he waited patiently for the traffic to cease enough to cross the street.  "For all the times she just comes and goes anywhere in the building without getting her head taken off, you know.  Kagome-chan just- _hrk!_"

"Do not speak her name so familiarly," Kurama intoned almost inaudibly, barely aware that he'd actually moved as his mind slowly took in the hand wrapped around Kurabara's throat, shoving him back against the brick on his toes to be sure he was properly intimidated-  _Properly intimidated-?  Dammit, Youko-!_

'_Hate to break it to you, but that was all you with me watching happily from right inside here,_' Youko gave him the distinct feeling of being patted on the head.  '_We heard him say her name and you just up and snapped.  I'm so proud_.'

Kurama released Kurabara, his cheeks suspiciously darker than normal as he ducked his head and stalked across the street in front of them, stuffing his hands into his pockets, _That was _not_ all me_.

_Actually_-

_Don't _even_ start with me right now, Hiei,_ Kurama snarled at him, cutting off that chuckle before it could fully start and biting down on his lip to resist the urge to let out a scream of pure frustration.

"He is under a great deal of stress lately," Hiei absently remarked to the stunned humans as he nonchalantly followed the kitsune.  "Something you humans call a mid-life crisis, I believe-"

_You're pushing your luck, Hiei_.

_You're the one who is becoming so wrapped up in this investigation_, Hiei shrugged as he caught Yuusuke shrugging and shaking his head out of the corner of his eye at Kurabara's apparent questioning.  _Perhaps it's become too personal for you to be involved.  You're too focused on acquiring the empty miko to perform at your usual level of finesse_.

_If that's your way of showing you're concerned that I'm going to fuck this up, don't bother_, Kurama blew out a heavy, controlled breath, forcibly calming himself as they drew closer to the imposing structure of Takeharuka's business headquarters.  _We can handle ourselves in front of Sesshoumaru_.

_Without turning into Youko_.

'_I'm not deaf, you half-sized firecracker,_' Youko was swishing back and forth impatiently again, darting their eyes around to catch any signs of ambush or indications that their miko would be close.  '_Even I wouldn't dare to insult a taiyoukai at a meeting I backed him into.  He'd use the excuse to try and kill us all in unfamiliar surroundings.  We'd be at a disadvantage_.'

_I'm going to let that one slide for now,_ Hiei gave him a look that said he wouldn't do so again.  _Now tell me the rest of the truth, why the hell are you so twitchy?_

Kurama shook his head, reaching up to rub the back of his neck lightly before he finally finished composing himself and waited for Kurabara and Yuusuke to catch up, _I don't want them getting close enough to find out who she is_.  _Kurabara would say something to Koenma without realizing it, and Yuusuke is… well, Yuusuke._  _He's too emotional and too easy to provoke if you know how to do it.  He could give her away_.

_In other words, you're being paranoid about Rekai finding out that we've already found the second wife's reincarnation,_ Hiei wanted to roll his eyes, but managed to stop himself at the last second.  _Koenma's planning to ignore her and let her soul be devoured, Kurama, I don't think you have anything to be worrying about_.

If_ the person he reincarnated gets hold of her, he's willing to do that,_ Kurama pointed out.  _If she's alone and alive, you think he'll be able to resist getting his hands on her and digging through her past-life memories to get the answers Sango and her husband won't offer?_

_The way you picked through them to get verification?_ Hiei couldn't resist taunting.

 Youko's chin had kicked up in an instant, '_I did not invade the privacy of her thoughts.  I merely scratched the surface to bring up enough of one to get answers!  I didn't even prod her for the name of the monk when I realized I could take over for his presence and participate myself_.  _I even completely patched over the sifting to keep all her memories right where they were when I first snuck in_.'

_Your altruism astounds me_.

'_It should_.'

            Now he did roll his eyes, but steered away from that topic, _Is that all?_

            Youko was the one who sighed and grudgingly offered the other reason for their uncharacteristic tension, '_We should have been able to feel something_.'

            _From what? _Hiei pressed.

            _Youko couldn't resist taking a taste of her life energy when we were in her soul, _Kurama expounded, wincing at the startled, and downright nasty look the hybrid shot him.  _I didn't realize what he was doing at the time!_

            '_It's not like you ever actively participate when it's time to feed,_' Youko scoffed at the idea that it had been anyone's plan but his own.  '_Most of the time you're asleep_.'

            Kurama nearly missed a step, _YOUKO!  How many times have you done this?_

            '_I haven't killed any of them,_' Youko made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, almost sounding like he was pouting.  '_Honestly, Kurama, you can be such a self-righteous little priss sometimes_.'

            _Who knew you had it in you?_ Hiei managed in a completely deadpan tone.

            '_Inde-oi!_'

            Hiei snickered and stepped aside to let Kurabara take the lead again as he led them around towards the side entrance of the main building, _I like you better when you're frustrated and easily distracted_.

            "Ah, anyway…" Kurabara nervously cleared his throat as he pressed his hand against the button set into the wall beside the doors, looking up to be sure security could see his face and buzz them in.  "Shiori-san is supposed to meet us at Takeharuka's elevators and give us the key to get into the sub-levels."

            "Underground," Yuusuke clarified, realization flashing in his eyes.

            "Isn't that generally what 'sub-levels' means?" Hiei drawled out, side-stepping effortlessly when Yuusuke took a half-hearted swing.

            "No fighting on property," Kurabara shook his head in warning as the doors slid open with a faint rush of cooler air, motioning for them to follow as he took off his sunglasses and returned them to his pocket.  "Unless you really want to find out how tight security is here, and don't even think of powers.  Koenma'd kill us all."

            _Figuratively speaking_, Hiei made a face, but settled down.

            _I'm more worried about the reaction we would get within the den of such a powerful youkai, _Kurama shook his head.  _They would attack us, you know they would_.

            _Could be fun,_ Hiei ducked his head to hide his grin as they passed the doors, a flash catching his eyes as he turned to look at the glowing ofuda pasted at shoulder level on the walls.  _Kurama_.

            _They're letting us in_, he nodded once to indicate he'd noticed the barriers and the way they had retracted when Kurabara passed through.  _Damn… how did he find holy powers with that kind of control in this era?  It's-_

            '_Unsettling_.'

            "Kurabara-kun!" the soft, obviously female voice brought them out of their thoughts to see a girl about Hiei's size waving at them from across the oddly normal lobby.

            _A hanyou? _Hiei blinked in surprise when his eyes darted over that pale hair contrasting starkly with her tanned skin and up to the inhuman eyes watching them just as intently during their approach.  His brows lowered sharply when he expanded his senses and came up with the same empty echo, _Goddammit!_

_            Easy_, Kurama set a hand on his shoulder, nodding to the pair of stern faced men watching them over the high paneled desk and wearing the same tailored suits that had seemed to take over Kurabara's wardrobe with his employment.  _She doesn't look like a threatening person_.

            _That means nothing_, he shrugged that helping hand off with a faint growl.

            _She hasn't killed Kurabara and she obviously is in contact with him fairly regularly, _he tried pointing out instead.

            Hiei stopped, twisting to frown up at him for a moment until he actually thought about that and relaxed, shaking his head, _You're right_.

            "Takeharuka-sama is in the dojo with Shippou-chan and his cousins," Shiori bowed slightly, tucking her hair back behind her faintly pointed ear and stepping back to motion for them to step into the narrow hallway.  "They should be finishing up their morning training since they're expecting you."

            "Will Kagome be with them?" Kurama lengthened his stride to stand next to the diminutive hanyou, pasting on his most charming smile to convince her he could be trusted with that information.

            Shiori tilted her head back and blinked up at him in surprise, seeming to be momentarily dazzled before she shook it off and looked away, her cheeks pink with embarrassment, "I… I'm not certain.  She attends the sessions regularly, but Takeharuka may have given her duties elsewhere.  I haven't seen her yet today."

            _Damn,_ he sighed in resignation, keeping the disappointment off his face as he nodded to her and smiled again until she quickened her step to reach the plain doorway at the end of the hall… Actually… his brows lifted as he turned and scanned the smooth walls around them, _That's interesting_.

            _It's the only door,_ Hiei nodded, watching her take a key from her pocket and fit it to the lock while her other hand surreptitiously pressed flat to the steel and glowed deep red for a split second.  _Well, well… a hanyou who controls barriers_.

            _Very precisely too,_ Kurama and Youko both remarked, making Hiei chuckle slightly at the wince that crossed the kitsune's face at their synchronic thought.

            "Jaken-sama will take you from here," Shiori bowed to them in a rush, stepping back and gesturing for them to pass through the open doorway before she turned and walked back the way they had come with the fluid grace only the creatures of higher blood could accomplish.

            Yuusuke let out a low whistle when the door she'd first led them through clicked shut, shaking his head and murmuring, "No _way_ that girl was human."

            "Shiori-chan?" Kurabara's brows shot up in disbelief, shaking his head in disagreement.  "She has to be!  I've never felt anything when she's close and she acts perfectly normal."

            "Are you really that stupid?" Yuusuke turned a flat look on his childhood companion, wrinkling his nose at the thought that he'd been relying so heavily on his extra perception to decide who was and wasn't human.  "That person-"

            He was abruptly cut off when a wooden staff came down on top of his head, hunching his shoulders up as he stood there blinking in stunned amazement that someone had just struck him and twisting around to look at the wizened little man glaring up at him with yellowed eyes, "Do not speak so disrespectfully to employees of Takeharuka-sama, and stop lurking about in corridors unless you wish to be tardy and forfeit the meeting he has so graciously allowed you!"

            Hiei looked down with an unreadable expression at the man who didn't even reach _his_ shoulder, blinking and cocking his head to one side as though he'd just found something that made absolutely no sense, _What… in the hells?_

            "Jaken?" Kurama inquired into the silence, stepping back to avoid that waving staff when the little man rounded on him.

            "That's 'Jaken-sama' to you, filthy avatar!" he set the staff down with a hard thump, turning and motioning for them to follow.  "Hrmph!  Why she is so vocal in your defense is beyond me, but make no mistake, this Jaken has been ordered to see to it that you do not compromise her safety."

            Kurama was unable to stop the warm smile that spread across his lips, only able to think of one "she" in Takeharuka's company that would think to come to his defense, _She can't be _that_ angry then, can she?_

            Yuusuke rubbed his head, scowling darkly at the old man and stalking forward with every intention of yanking that staff out of his hands and seeing how well the little bastard could fly when he jerked to a stop just beyond the door.

            Hiei watched curiously, walking forward to join their leader beyond the simple doorway and glancing around with a snort of sardonic amusement, _And here are his little youkai followers_.

            _All of them?_ Kurama slipped in and looked around, his expression carefully schooled against showing his surprise when he found himself staring out across a maze of cubicles, suspicious eyes of every imaginable color watching the new arrivals with unblinking intensity.

            The door slammed shut when Kurabara had joined them inside, making them turn back to see a dark-haired man smirking and leaning back against it with his arms folded over his chest.  He arched one finely sculpted brow at the way they tensed in battle-readiness, gesturing with his head towards the toddering form of Jaken moving down the open floor-space to the elevators on the far side of the room, "It's never a good idea to keep Big Dog waiting."

            "Who-?" Kurama started to be cut off by Jaken's impatient croaking to hurry up.  

            "This is getting fucking ridiculous," Yuusuke hissed as he turned and stalked after their guide, looking around them tensely as his senses screamed a warning that he was in a room full of dangerous predators even as his aura failed to bring him any sort of suspicious energy.

            They could hear the man behind them chuckling to himself, and Kurama glanced back to see his eyes gleaming in speculation, one hand lifted to hold his own chin as he turned to murmur a few words with a younger, equally beautiful boy who'd come to stand at his side.  His eyes narrowed slightly as he caught the edges of their discussion, shooting Hiei a look, _They're making bets against us_.

            _I noticed_, he shrugged, unconcerned by the attention as Jaken tapped his slippered foot impatiently against the marble floor, smacking his staff against the button above his head to summon the private elevator and waving it threateningly to get them inside when the doors obediently slid open.  _They obviously do not believe we'll be making a return trip through their offices_, he snorted derisively, turning to put the wall at his back and frowning when he took in the complete lack of buttons or other human electronics.  _What the-?_

Jaken stepped in, sweeping himself up importantly and bringing the end of his staff down hard against the floor hard enough to send a vibration shivering up their legs and settling with another huff when the doors closed, "You are lucky to have made it even this far.  We do not take kindly to strangers, especially strangers who unnecessarily bother Kagome-sama and cause her to become disobedient."

He turned back to face them when the seam of the doors slowly melted away until the walls had smoothed, jolting as they began their downward descent.  Yuusuke's eyes widened before he'd sunk into a semi-crouch, hands fisted and body tense, "What the fuck-?!  What are we in?  Where are you taking us?"

"Down," Jaken tilted his nose up, readjusting his hold on his staff as the light in the chamber flickered and the image of plain wood melted into a pair of heads adorning the top of his staff.

Yuusuke and Kurabara jerked back in disgust when the eyes of the man's head opened and regarded them, the mouth opening and closing for a moment before it settled and tilted its chin back down to lie dormant, "That's-!  That's fucking sick!"

"The Staff of Heads is always lost on you disgusting humans," he sighed and shook his head, shrinking slightly as the human image shifted and disappated in the same way until they were left staring at his own true-form.  "But what can a great youkai such as this Jaken expect from you creatures?"

Kurabara nearly knocked his head against the wall behind him, eyes wide and startled at seeing the little man he'd seen so often with Takeharuka change into the bug-eyed reptilian youkai, "Th-that's not possible!  You don't feel like a youkai!"

Hiei rolled his eyes, reaching up and smacking the human over the head to knock him onto his knees before he scowled, "Get yourself together or I'll kill you before we reach our destination."

Jaken tilted his head consideringly and finally scoffed, eyes closed and radiating a rather misplaced arrogance, "At least your youkai companion seems to have remained untainted by prolonged exposure to your ignorance."

'_Is this thing for real?_' Youko was nearly bubbling over with laughter at the little scene playing out around them between the ugly little monster and two men behaving as though they'd never seen a youkai before.  Granted the heads were not something he would indulge in personally, but really…  '_They're making us look bad._'

_Gods forbid_, Kurama reached out and pressed his palm to the smooth metal at his side, frowning as he felt the temperature cooling and the feel of the earth getting stronger.  _We're deep._

_Deeper than humans would have gone_, Hiei agreed, turning a bored eye to the shouting match that had erupted between Yuusuke and Jaken over the smell of humans, or some other such trivial matter.  Still, he could feel his lips twitch when the youkai gave up and simply clocked him over the head again, more amused by the horrified look Yuusuke gave the heads and the way he furiously tried to scrub the inhuman feel off his skin.

Jaken cracked the length of the staff against Yuusuke and Kurabara's shins, making them dart to the side as he strode to the wall when the elevator shuddered and came to a stop, tapping it to the floor again.  He smiled proudly when the sound of something cracking filled the chamber just before a line ran the length of metal from ceiling to floor and split open.

Confused at the gloom beyond the lights of the elevator, they obediently shuffled out after Jaken without objecting to his squabbled orders, peering around in surprise to find the walls made of irregular stone.  Some parts seemed to be covered with moss, others glistening wetly in the faint light of blue-flamed torches leading deeper down the massive corridor only to be lost a short distance ahead in an unnaturally thick fog hanging oppressive in the stale air.

"A cave?" Yuusuke murmured in disbelief, twisting and looking up and around at the stones leading upwards into darkness before glancing down to find the hard-packed earth and gravel underfoot.  "That building was made on top of a cave?"

"We created the cave later to serve our purposes," Jaken informed them loftily, motioning for them to follow as he started into the fog.  "If you become lost, we will not search for you."

_Charming,_ Kurama sighed heavily as they all fell in-step, automatically correcting his steps to silence as his senses fanned out to feel the untainted ki filling the walls.

_Whatever humans come here are trained in the old ways,_ Hiei remarked at his own assessment, studying their surroundings with a critical eye until he was distracted by a faint tremor rippling through the ground and sending a light spattering of dust down around their heads.  

"Apparently they have not quite finished with this morning's session," Jaken shook his head, undaunted by the ominous rumbling from the direction he was leading them.  "Ah well, perhaps we will save Takeharuka-sama the trouble of correcting a misjudged attack by interrupting."

            _That doesn't make sense_, Kurama frowned, flexing his hands when something inside him could practically taste the feel of metal on metal echoing to him through the fog.  _Swords_.  _Whoever is here is sword fighting, Hiei_.

            _I'm aware of that, but keep an eye on the other two_, Hiei made a face and glanced at Yuusuke and Kurabara for a moment.  _The fog is disorienting, and you know that they do not take kindly to their senses being tricked._

            "_Hiraikotsu!_" the low, masculine yell echoed off the walls, faint at first and gaining strength with every echo as the piercing whine of metal striking bone grated just at the edge of their hearing before yet another ground-shaking tremor rocked the cavern, this one more intense than the first.

            "_Dammit, Shinju, you said you were sitting out this round!_"

            "_Changed my mind._"

            "That's-" Yuusuke started in surprise.

            "Takashima," Hiei's eyes narrowed, hand going reflexively to where his katana should have been and swearing when his palm met only air.

            '_Oh good!  Your lover is here too!_' Youko perked up cheerfully, trying to urge Kurama to speed up when Hiei turned a deadly glare on him.  '_What?  You thought he was pretty, didn't you?  That's why you're so dead set on denying your attraction_.'

            _Now is not the time, Youko_, Hiei growled at him, his curiosity peaking when the voice echoed again, taunts and laughter mingling with the sounds of weapons cracking together and more of those ground-shaking tremors forced them to put more attention into staying upright.

            "_OW! **FUCK!!**_"

            "_C'mon, Shippou, are you getting lazy in your old age?  I'm not even sweating!_" another voice carried back to them, similar to the one identified as Shinju and making Kurabara's eyes widen.

            "That sounds like Kaze," he explained when he realized he'd drawn at least Hiei's attention, shaking his head in obvious confusion.  "I don't get it… I don't- I don't feel anything!  I'm seeing it, but-"

            "We know," Yuusuke muttered irritably, trying to squint through the fog.  "None of us can feel them."

            "Idiot," Jaken scoffed, cutting him off as his staff continued to thump regularly against the ground with each step.  "We have had centuries to perfect our methods of remaining undetected by beings such as you.  We do not wish for you to sense us or our creations, and so you do not."

            "Who are you calling an idiot, you mutated lizard?!" Yuusuke demanded in a snarl, mindless to the way his voice bounced off the walls and carried through the corridors until the sounds of battle paused.

            "_Is that-?  No, **wait!**  Dammit, I'm not distracted!  I'm **not-!**_" Shippou's voice raised in pitch almost in panic, only to cut off abruptly with a rather ominous snapping sound, followed by a hiss, and a grating screech that didn't sound like metal or bone while the ground shook violently enough to nearly knock them off their feet.

            Jaken sighed and clucked his tongue as he turned a bend they hadn't even realized was there, coming to a stop at the end of what seemed to be a dome-shaped chamber with two nearly identical human boys standing at the center beside a single torch set into the floor.  Their eyes were trained upwards for a moment before they turned to face the entrance, nearly blending into the shadows with the black uniforms that left only their hands and heads exposed.  

Hiei glanced up at Kurama, watching the kitsune's eyes narrow when he recognized the style of the metallic masks covering the lower halves of their faces, _Taijiya_.

            Shinju clucked his tongue behind the mask, holding up his hand as the Hiraikotsu came around on its return, catching the handle without taking his eyes off them and casually letting the weight of the weapon drag him back a few feet before he dug in to stop himself, "Damn, just when we're winning."

            "We did have an unfair advantage," Kaze shrugged, flicking his katana with instinctive grace to perform his _chiburi _before sheathing it.  "He was not allowed a break in sessions as we were."

            Ignoring the amazed stares as he effortlessly brought the Hiraikotsu around to strap across his back, Shinju shrugged and tilted his head back to look up into the shadows beyond the torchlight again, "We were still winning."

            Jaken shook his head and muttered a few indecipherable remarks under his breath as he pointed the staff at the younger boy, waiting for him to bow politely before he introduced, "Nenjuharuka Shinju and his cousin, Nenjuharuka Hitokaze."

            Once Kaze had straightened from his own bow at the sound of his name, they took a step back in unison just as the blurred shape from above slammed down into the ground in front of them hard enough to make the ground shudder and send a cloud of dirt flying up into the air to join the obscuring fog.

            "I believe you have already had several meetings with Takashima Shippou," Jaken's lip curled as he tapped his staff impatiently against the floor, waving it about as though it would help the cloud disperse faster.

            "Takashima?" Yuusuke's eyes widened at having that 'shape' identified as the investigator who had caused them all so much trouble.

"Is he dead?" Kurabara peered through the settling cloud, looking down when he saw a clawed, bloody hand twitching amongst the rocks.

            "Unfortunately not," Jaken wrinkled his nose, waiting for the hand to curl and lift the battered kitsune up out of the small crater.  "Despite our best efforts, Takashima has proven to be incredibly durable."

            "I heard that, Jaken," Shippou muttered quietly, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth as he worked to get his legs under him and rise, one eye closed and pressing his hand over the sizeable hole that had been punched through under his ribs as the blood stained his nearly decimated shirt in a rapidly widening pattern.  Wincing, he looked down and around, stubbornly ignoring his injuries and the way his clothing seemed to be smoldering and dissolving in places to look for his swords, "Fucking hells, where'd they go?"

            Shinju and Kaze pointed in opposite directions, trying their best to look supportive while Shippou continued to swear and hiss when his injuries pulled or twinged, "They went flying."

            "Just what I need," he sighed heavily and turned to scowl at the four men staring at him over Jaken's head, forcing his injured eye open despite his inability to actually see out of it at the moment.  "Thanks for that, by the way.  Bastards."

            "Calm down, Shippou, you've had worse," Shinju's eyes crinkled in a way that showed he was smiling broadly beneath his mask at the kitsune's sour glare at their guests.

            "For better reasons," he spat out, straightening with a scowl when he realized they were actually seeing his real form as his tail twitched and wrapped around his waist to soak up the blood he was losing as his body worked to repair itself.

            Shinju walked back to stand beside him, glancing to be sure he wasn't hitting an injury as he patted Shippou on the back, "If it hasn't killed you yet, it's probably not going to.  And just think of the help you are in keeping Kaze up to date on his youkai anatomy lessons!"

            "You're an asshole."

            "Yes, yes I am," Shinju nodded in perfect seriousness before turning to focus curiously on the group he'd been hearing about for nearly as long as his mother had rejoined the family.

            _Keiko was right… that Shinju has the same eyes as Kagome_, Kurama shook himself out of his surprise at seeing the kitsune actually staying on his feet in his condition, forcing himself to look away to study the human boys who still gave every appearance of being ready to fight in an instant despite their relaxed stances.

            _Family relations then_, Hiei murmured dismissively, his entire attention on taking in every nuance of this Shippou without his illusions in his determination to not be caught off-guard again.  There had to be something about his appearance he couldn't change completely…

            '_If you're done undressing him with your eyes-?_' Youko drawled out, snickering in delight when Hiei jammed his elbow into Kurama's side.  '_Ooh, I know!  You're imagining him on the ground, licking off that blood while he's weakened and-_!'

            Kurama grabbed the hybrid's arm when the elbow dug in harder, and muttering impatiently, "Stop encouraging him."

            Shippou reached up impatiently to re-gather his hair, smoothing out the pieces that had fallen loose and returning it to the high ponytail before he tied it off and smoothed the two long front sections he allowed to fall into his face, "Couldn't you have waited until you actually _got_ here before you started being disruptive?"

            Yuusuke suddenly grinned and shook his head, "'Fraid not.  But knowing it got your ass kicked that badly, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

            "I'll remember that and take it out of _your_ ass later," Shippou rubbed furiously at his eye, trying to speed up the healing process as he flicked his other hand and absently caught both hilts in one hand when his swords returned at the summons.

            '_Are you going to let your lover talk to another man that way?_' Youko wheedled, dodging this time before the elbow could hit them and pasting on a bland look when Jaken scowled at him over his shoulder for the repeated motions.

            _I can always tell the miko you have a crush on her brother; I'm sure she'd love to speak with you after that_, Hiei's eyes narrowed, ignoring the kitsune and the trio standing at the center of the room in favor of searching through the darkness when his attention was drawn to a faint hissing sound.  _Did you-?_

_            I heard it_, Kurama was instantly still, eyes darting around for the source of the sound when Jaken stepped away from them and turned to face them directly, giving the impression that if he tried to straighten his spine any more, he'd separate his own vertebrae.

            "Our other close advisors and leaders will be introduced as we see fit, along with other direct members of the family who were needed elsewhere this morning," Jaken intoned, gesticulating with the staff before lightly resting the point on the disrupted, bloody ground and closing his eyes.  "But, of course, the most important meeting for you inconvenient rabble is with the Lord of the family…  Sesshoumaru-sama."

            _Then he's here? _Kurama frowned slightly, scanning the edges of shadows just beyond reach of the torch as the two humans bowed deeply, joined by Shippou's own awkward attempt given the state of his abdomen.

            "So when do we meet him?" Yuusuke demanded, setting a fist on his hip and looking from Hiei and Kurama's tense expressions to Kurabara's confused one before settling on the toad youkai practically on his knees.  "Not that we don't appreciate the show of respect, but-"

            He trailed off when the edges of the fog turned a rather vibrant shade of green, blinking in confusion and going still when that hissing sound came again, loud enough for human ears to detect.

            Hiei and Kurama were the first to whirl around, focusing behind them towards the sound with Yuusuke and Kurabara following their lead, only to pause in confusion when they were left staring at nothing but mist and darkness yet again.

            "What gives?  Where the hell are you bowing… to-?" Yuusuke started to turn back, only to pause as a shiver of ominous apprehension skated down his spine when his peripheral vision registered something glistening fall from high above them only to repeat the hissing sound when it struck the stone.

            Very slowly, he squared his shoulders with exaggerated care and faced the same direction as his companions, their eyes lifting along the shadows higher and higher until they were practically looking straight up into two gleaming scarlet pools, the distant light of the torch flickering across them coldly.

            "Takashima," Jaken's voice carried a sharp order, and the kitsune mumbled under his breath for a moment before nodding.

            "I know, I know," Shippou sighed and held up his hand, foxfire curling strong and vibrant along the gouged skin before he stretched his arm up and let it flare brightly enough to chase away even more of the darkness.

            Enough to reveal those 'pools' for eyes narrowed down on them from the snarling silver-white face of the inu youkai towering over them.

The blue flames stretched farther to surround the massive creature staring down with his glowing eyes regarding them in aloof disdain, but with a gleam that suggested he was considering them in a more predatory regard.  As he held them transfixed, he lifted one foot and brought it down to show them very clearly what all that trembling had been caused by earlier, shifting his weight into a more aggressive stance as his tail swung around and crashed hard against the wall to shower down more debris on the collected groups below.  His head dipped, ears back and eyes narrowing even more sharply as his jaws opened to drip a steadier stream of saliva from those perfect fangs onto the rocks around them, hissing and melting the stone on contact to add to the growing cloud of noxious mist mingling with the unnatural fog.

            "Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken gestured to the taiyoukai grandly, his voice smug and respectful in the extreme at being in the presence of his Lord in his natural state before it changed to something more taunting when he looked back at them, "the Lord of the Western Lands bids you welcome to your requested audience."

            "Well, fuck," Yuusuke whispered.


	25. Everything but Ordinary

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:   -Happy giggling- I know I left it off in an unhappy place, but Kazusa was out of town and I felt safe! –strikes dramatic pose…only to deflate a moment later-  Only to have her return and threaten to devour my immortal soul if I didn't finish this chapter and post it before I leave tonight for work.  –sobs- I am so abused!  LOL, just kidding.  I know it's probably getting confusing, and it'll probably get worse before it gets better, but paaaatience!  I swear it'll come together soon enough.

As always, my beautiful and fabulous reviewers, I adore you and love to read all of your thoughts and opinions on the story.  I love hearing that I have fanart or getting to talk to you about your impressions.  –giggles- I sound like such a sap, but it's totally uber fun.  –bows and blows many kisses-  You're amazing and wonderful, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.  ^__~

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Everything but Ordinary~

            "You love doing this, don't deny it," Kagome tilted her head, sighing in long-suffering as she absently ran her hand through the silky fur of his shoulder, crossing one leg over the other as she watched them stare up at Sesshoumaru's transformed body in amazement.

            _This Sesshoumaru feels no need to deny obvious things,_ he snorted back at her, flicking his tail again and giving his version of a grin when they were forced to shift awkwardly to keep themselves on their feet.  _I do not often get to humiliate little upstart kitsunes and servants of the Rekai at their own request._

            "I doubt this is what they had in mind, Sesshoumaru," she still couldn't help but smile at the sheer amusement radiating from his aura as she took in the differences age had made to the form she'd seen only once in the past.  "You've gotten bigger, haven't you?" she regarded him carefully, taking in the way his muzzle had grown sharper, almost elegant in its lines despite the way he had his lips pulled back to show off the glistening fangs.

            _You did not think I had fully grown after knowing the battle for Tetsusaiga took place in my father's stomach, did you?_ he snorted at her in a rather matter-of-fact way, shaking his head as he shifted his weight and effectively guiding her perusal to take in the leaner, more precise lines of muscle even through the thick fur.  _This Sesshoumaru is a taiyoukai, miko.  We are beyond compare when we reach our full potential… this is why others seek to challenge us in our youth.  It is the only time they have the slightest chance to succeed in ending our existence without the aid of another higher creature_.

            "It is so beyond creepy to know that you were like a youkai equivalent to a teenager when you were doing all that," she pointed out.

            _I had recently passed my adolescence when you and I first met eyes_, _but my developmental state was irrelevant_.  _This Sesshoumaru has never been so crass or base as to behave in the fashion as the creatures you found companionship among._

            Kagome took a moment to digest that, making it a point to ignore the supreme arrogant oozing from every word and the knowledge that he was –for all intents and purposes- preening under the knowledge that his form had induced the admiration he'd intended to gain, "You _do_ realize that you have an ego that might give your father a run for his money?"

            _My 'ego' is not without the skill and experience to support it, as _you_ are well aware_, he returned blandly.

            "You're posing."

            _This Sesshoumaru does not _pose_._

"Just like 'the Sesshoumaru' doesn't vent," she murmured under her breath, well aware he could hear her and wincing when a streak of punitive energy snapped across her soul.  "Ouch… okay, okay, I got the hint.  We have an audience so I have to be in my unquestioningly adoring mode."

            _These creatures are not to get inappropriate ideas about your place in this family, particularly in their misguided thinking that they could find a way to sway your loyalties,_ Sesshoumaru instructed with a patience that surprised her, coming so quickly on the heels of the wordless reprimand.  _If you wish to keep that living flower, you will behave yourself in front of its master and refrain from your usual disobedience. You are here only at the grace and indulgence of this Sesshoumaru, miko, remember that_…  _It would be easier to turn aside this creature without you making eyes at him out of some misguided envy or gods-forbid, desire_.

            Kagome sighed, her gaze trailing over to linger on the upturned face of the person responsible for her recent inability to concentrate… or sleep, "He is pretty, isn't he."

            _Kagome_, that growl was back in his voice, full of warning and escaping his throat with enough force that the unfamiliar group was sinking into defensive positions.

            "I know, I'm not supposed to like him, but dammit, Sesshoumaru, I can look," she folded her arms stubbornly and gave him the glare right back before her expression softened and she stared down at him with a warm sort of contemplation.  "Besides… I was afraid."

            She could see his brows draw together by the way the fur across his forehead shifted and creased, _Explain the fear you have neglected to share with this Sesshoumaru_.

            "It was a stupid fear and that's why I didn't share it," she answered calmly, rubbing her face against his neck again to soothe the twangs she could feel dancing just outside her aura.  "I mean… Miroku and I talked about it, Inuyasha was even there," her voice turned quiet, barely audible to his senses.  "They just… they wanted me to find someone.  But I didn't think I could… feel like that again, you know?"

            _There is no reason for you to think that simply because of your place in starting this family that you would have damaged natural parts of your soul's ability to feel desire for others in this time,_ his voice was filled with such resignation, the words almost grudging as he offered them, that she couldn't help but laugh as she tucked her knees to her chest.  _However, this Sesshoumaru is fairly certain that your inherent poor taste in male companionship had degenerated further than anticipated.  Myself excluded._

            Kagome rolled her eyes, "He at least knows how to send flowers… if you ignore the fact that it came with teeth."

            _Or that the gift is a way for this kitsune to be certain he is in your thoughts,_ he reminded her sternly, tilting his head to scowl down at Kurama as his poison flowed freely from his jaws.  _He is old, miko, and very intelligent as well as crafty.  He may seem charming to you, but do not forget what he is.  Even your brother will tell you this is a game to him_.

            "But why play it with _me_ if they don't know me from the past?" her own mood turned serious with her unanswered question, frowning as her eyes followed the fluid curl and sway of his hair in the wind the taiyoukai was creating with his movements.  "Why did he approach me out of all the women there that day?  Why did he use those words?"

            _Depending on the outcome of this meeting, you may or may not be permitted to voice your questions yourself, _he shrugged, unconcerned.  _But this Sesshoumaru is aware that you do not believe in coincidences any more than I do_.

            She nodded, lifting her hand to her throat to trace the neckline of her shirt before trailing her fingers to her bared left shoulder to rest on the lavender crescent, "I stopped believing long ago."

            He grunted to acknowledge the incident they had both brought to mind, _We will wait and see what these children have in store for us.  If they prove useful, perhaps I will not kill them right away_.

            "He's not _that_ much younger than you are," Kagome shook her head at the disgust that had filtered back into his tone.  "We have to be sure first, but if they're dangerous, you can just eat them and be done with it.  That way there won't be any bodies to trace back to us even if their boss person is suspicious."

            Sesshoumaru's chest rumbled with another short chuckle at how very casually she spoke of such things, flicking his tail against the wall again and shaking out his fur distractedly, _Be careful, miko… my brother and your late husband would accuse me of corrupting your peaceful nature with my sadistic tastes_.

            "Some people just need to be eaten," one shoulder lifted in a dainty shrug that knocked the billowing sleeve of her loose kimono down to her elbow.

            _And now you are reciting lessons I taught you_.

            "You should be proud they stuck into my 'empty human head,'" her eyes sparkled at having a chance to remind him of one of his favorite remarks when he caught her mind wandering during her so-called lessons.  _Even if they really are so very different from anything I would have thought before this all started._

            _Perhaps you will be able to pass along your ability to find focus amongst distractions to your brother before his habit of being disrupted by the first thing that sparkles gets him killed_, Sesshoumaru brought his foot down directly in front of Kurama, dipping his snout to more fully bare his teeth when the kitsune simply glared up at him defiantly.  _His attention is still even more flighty than yours was in the beginning, and he has proven resistant to correction out of sheer obstinacy_.

            "So that's what you call trying to bite Shippou in half?  Correction?" she arched an eyebrow, lifting one hand absently to touch the vines that had threaded themselves through her high ponytail, separating large sections to toy with in its boredom.  Leaning against his neck when his position changed enough to create a space for her to easily alter her own place, she closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled the scent that brought such comfort with its distinct connection to raw, untainted nature, "I understand the lesson, and it _is _important, but these are extenuating circumstances."

            _If they see my own trusted investigator in such a state for making a mistake in a simple training session, they will be aware that the pain my enemies suffer when they think to truly attack me is an incredible thing, _Sesshoumaru replied loftily, letting out a throaty growl of chastisement when he saw the bored look filter onto Shippou's face.

            "Oh stop it, he's just trying to show you he can take the punishment without whining about it," Kagome lightly smacked his shoulder beside her hip, well aware he probably barely even felt the pressure.  "I don't even want to think about how exhausted he is right now, not to mention how much your poison hurts, and he's got a gut full of it at the moment."

            _Kitsunes are easier to instruct once their energy stores have been worn down to a manageable level,_ he informed her patiently.  _The older Takashima becomes, the more effort must be expended to bring him to this state_.  

            "Lazy."

            _This Sesshoumaru did not complain over the truth of his instruction, did he?_ one of those eyes turned back to focus on her for a moment before returning to the gathered men below, well aware that they were unable to see the miko seated calmly on his shoulder.  _Do not accuse the Lord of the Western Lands of such a vile weakness_, _or the next individual standing on the ground to face me will be you, you bothersome miko_.

            Kagome tapped a finger to her lips and smiled slightly, "You're venting at me again."

            _Then again, I may simply swallow you whole and save myself the trouble of pretending such an event was unplanned,_ he huffed, grinning again when his poison swirled thickly about his ankles at the change in the air.  _After all, do humans not have that ridiculous saying about eating their pets?_

            "You interpret things in the weirdest ways sometimes," Kagome shook her head, biting back the laugh that she could feel would have been loud enough to clearly give away her presence.  "And it's only if they think their pets are cute.  They say their pets are so cute that they just want to eat them up, although I've heard people say it about other humans too."

            _Then devouring you would be acceptable_, he lifted one paw absently to lick off the minor bloodstains in the fur when his nose twitched to show him the results of Shippou's earlier attempt to dodge.

            "I'll give you the worst stomach ache of your immortal life, and you know it," she smiled affectionately.

            _With your singular talent for causing inconvenience to this Sesshoumaru under even the best of circumstances, those words take on an ominous tone_, his voice was so bland that Kagome's brows rose in amazement.

            "My gods," Kagome drawled out with perfectly feigned shock.  "Somewhere a poor innocent world has just burst into flames…  You actually made a blatant joke out of what I said."

            _If 'poor innocent worlds' burst into flames every time such a thing occurs, I will make it a note to do so more often,_ he purposefully brought his foot back down close enough that the four men glaring up at him with varying degrees of concern in their eyes leapt backwards to avoid being "accidentally" crushed.  _Such large-scale destruction does appeal to my- what did you call it?_

            "Your sociopathic, homicidal complex," she recited easily.  

            _Ah, yes_.

"It has that nasty tendency to rear up when you're feeling particularly strong ennui brought on by your considerable existence," Kagome mocked him lightly even as she kicked her heel back into his shoulder and let her voice take on a hint of warning. 

            _Indeed_.

            "Like _now?_"

            _If this Sesshoumaru was feeling homicidal, miko, there would be four less auras making you fidget at the moment,_ he scoffed at the ice she'd tried to insert into her tone, giving her a slanted glance to remind her just who had taught her that use it in the first place.  _I am exercising remarkable control considering what my instincts are telling me to do to these _boys,_ as you well know._

            "You promised not to kill them yet, remember?" she glared at him with a sigh, shaking her head at the definite, wicked pleasure she could feel humming off his aura as he continued to intimidate them through his size alone.

            _I can always correct any accidental breaking of that particular promise, _he reminded her, tilting his head as he eyed the narrowed eyes of Kurama as they flashed between green and gold with his obvious displeasure.

            "Do you really want them to know about the Tensaiga this early in meeting you?" Kagome folded her arms over her chest and arched an eyebrow, playing along the natural tactician part of his mind to stop him from giving into the god-awful urge to "play."  She'd learned quickly in the past that allowing him to indulge in what _he_ found amusing generally -depending on his mood- translated into either the rapid death or the slow, inventive torture of someone he decided had been particularly irritating to him. 

            _We have discussed how obnoxious you become when you are making sense to this Sesshoumaru, have we not?_ she could feel the tension in the muscles beneath her legs start to smooth as he relaxed back from his urge to pounce and rend.

            "Repeatedly."

            _Excellent,_ Sesshoumaru glanced at Shippou and the monk's descendents as they chuckled over the antics playing out before them in the unfamiliar group, shaking his head to revel in the freedom of this body for another moment before his eyes whirled with concentration.  _Then I will not have to repeat myself_.

            "I can fake it if it will make you feel better to lecture me again," she offered, her eyes flickering just slightly with her own amusement as she struggled to keep a straight face.

            _This Sesshoumaru will remember your suggestion for a later time when it can be fully enjoyed_, he assured her, sneaking in the hint of an impression that had her mentally groaning at the "promise" in it.

            "What _would_ you do with yourself if you didn't have me to take out your frustration on?" Kagome rolled her eyes, sitting up more attentively when she felt the shiver of ki curl through her and contract, warning her that he was about to change his body to his humanoid form.

            _I probably would have given into the urge to see how much of Japan I could destroy before these humans with their modern technology and Rekai's hired muscle succeeded in stopping me_, Sesshoumaru's shoulder rolled with the shrug, opening his mouth to will more of his poison to flow and force that arrogant kitsune to walk backwards with his friends until they were standing in the same circle of light as Shippou and the monk's descendants.  _However, I find my attention more suited to retaining my lands here and governing the properties I have claimed in the Makai_.  _So this Sesshoumaru will resist the urge to satisfy that particular curiosity._

            Kagome made a face, shuddering at the mental image of the taiyoukai in full form, berserk and running around downtown Tokyo like some sort of cult-movie monster, "There's a creepy thought."  _And the worst part of that is that knowing with the Tensaiga, and knowing Sesshoumaru, nothing they threw at him would kill him_.  _It's not like there's another taiyoukai around to get the sword away and take him out_.

            Sesshoumaru made a vague sound in his throat when he felt an echo of her emotions, taking in a deep breath as he forcibly retracted his ki to gather around him, _Your faith in my abilities to decimate the human race is very satisfying, miko_.

            "It's just like you to do your version of preening after I think of something like that," she sighed at that controlled fluctuation of energy, watching their 'guests' attempt to shield their eyes from the blinding light filling the room with the clash of his youki.  "And taking advantage of being like this to laugh at me."

            _This body of mine does not translate expressions adequately enough for this Sesshoumaru to be concerned with his audience interpreting his reactions_, Sesshoumaru inhaled deeply as he felt his natural magic spike, dissolving the massive shape and gathering it in a spiraling rush to reform his favored appearance within that sphere of protective light.  _Therefore, I find no reason to limit how I show my amusements when you are already familiar with my tastes in all things._

            "Added bonus when the said amusement come at my expense," Kagome smiled from her undisturbed perch on his left shoulder, reaching over his head to slide her fingers through the fur winding its way back around his body to smooth it before she obeyed the arch look and calmed.

            "That is, as always, an enjoyable bonus, miko, when my pleasure comes at your expense rather than my own," his voice was back to its usual tone, almost painfully arrogant and cold as any ancient sheet of glacieral ice for all its inhuman, melodic beauty.

            "You really are a complete bastard, you know," she tilted her head until it was resting on top of his, content to draw from the stoic calm another moment as he perversely kept the youki shielding longer than necessary to hide from their anxious sight.

            "You lost your rights to complain on how you are handled by this Sesshoumaru centuries ago, miko," Sesshoumaru lifted his hand to rest on her thigh absently, holding her in place as she re-crossed her legs and made sure she wasn't in the way or in danger of tearing her own legs open on his armor.  "However, you will stop your irritating little brother from dressing you in the strangest things for his pleasure.  You look as sloppy as that reanimated thing with the folding sword," he finished with the faintest hint of a growl when the shift allowed the dark fabric of her kimono to move and expose the entire length of her legs through the modified slits separating the front into sections rather than a full "skirt."

            Kagome frowned in confusion and looked herself over critically, "Jakotsu?"  

"I do not wish to suffer with smelling this other kitsune's response to the revealing nature of Takashima's creations," he informed her when she opened her mouth to deny the description.

            "Well it was this or listen to him pout about ruining his precious jeans," Kagome shrugged and let it go, chuckling at the faint glitter to his eyes that showed he would like nothing more than to knock the poor kitsune around for his strange behavior and possibly her as well.  "He cosplays too, doesn't he?"

            Sesshoumaru turned a perfectly bland look up at her.

            Kagome winced, reaching under the pooling fabric to be sure the obi was going to hold everything in place before folding her hands in her lap and nodding, "I'll see what I can do, but you know how much he loves dressing up."

            He simply turned his gaze back down to the group as he allowed the glare of youki to die down, effectively ending the discussion while he hovered for a moment longer before manipulating the ki around them to lower himself to the ground.  

Sesshoumaru's entire posture underwent a subtle transformation beneath her, body tensing just enough to be alert for any attacks while his chin lifted to display that shroud of regal arrogance that surrounded him so effortlessly.  Cold amber hardened and forced them to hold still even as he settled into his own version of a relaxed stance when the winds died away and finally ceased to whip about their hair and clothing.  He allowed a short span for their own curious assessment of his form before his focus sharpened, evaluating every surface strength and weakness until he was satisfied enough to lift his right hand, palm down in front of him.  

Kagome subtly rested her hand on his shoulder beside her hip, ducking her head to hide the flash of her eyes behind her hair as she felt the heavy pulse of energy arc out and pass through the wary foursome with undetected fingers.  He waited perfectly motionless until the summoned energy came curling back around into his soul, vibrating through him with the potency and unique composition of each individual aura.

            Sesshoumaru's image seemed to pulse, eyes flashing scarlet as he inhaled and separated the scents to fit with the energy he'd read through that sweeping wave before it faded to normal.  The very corner of his lips quirked for a split second as his youki instinctively flowed through a number of ways each of these beings could be broken and bleeding under his hands in very little time, letting the images soothe him before he actually turned to fully face the antagonist of this entire disruptive mess.

            "Avatar."

~*~*~*~

            '_Now _that _is the proper way to intimidate someone,_' Youko murmured in appreciation as they watched the waves of power wrap around the youkai who'd more or less herded them back in a closed position with his paws and poison, squinting their eyes to try and see through the glaring flash before they were forced to turn away from the intensity of the light.

            _And not a single goddamn thing is spilling from whatever is hiding the feel of that power_, Hiei remarked in disgust, grudgingly respectful of the kind of control it took to accomplish that feat while his curiosity sparked at seeing the edges of that enormous body grow indistinct and draw inwards towards the light source.  _He's changing_.

            '_Of course he is… that was just a very well-timed show,_' Youko huffed at the idea the it hadn't been obvious as to what the inu was doing.  '_He was showing us that he's an old bastard who would rather eat us alive than speak with us.  Or did you not figure out that the hole in your lover is probably from one of those teeth?_'

            Hiei shot him a dirty glare, but he was already twisting to look more closely at the injuries Shippou had sustained once he realized the kitsune had his eyes shut against the brightness as well, _You have a sick fascination with my lack of romantic attachments, you know that?  I'd almost think you were trying to live out your fantasies through me for actually being able to _find_ someone older than me to have sex with if I wanted_.

            '_Oh I'd much rather be the older partner,_' Youko corrected him with a sly grin.  '_It's so much more delicious to be the one who corrupts the last shreds of innocence from a passionate soul after-_'

            _Have you two forgotten that we have an issue in front of us that's a _little_ more important than comparing your turn-ons?_ Kurama cut in when he sensed where that remark was going, forcing Youko to pay attention as the dimmer portions of energy near the floor started to twist into an upward spiral.  _You're the one who hasn't stopped going on about how he's going to be waiting for anything he can view as an insult to try and kill us.  After seeing this…_

            _It would be a difficult battle,_ Hiei's eyes narrowed when he saw Shippou take his hand away from his injured eye, lids still closed as he tilted his head back and drew in a deep breath.  _Youko, what is that little brat doing?_

            Youko turned their head to see what the hybrid was indicating, frowning slightly in confusion and tilting his head as he tried to feel out if he'd called the wrong breed, '_He's drawing in energy from around himself… probably trying to speed up his healing_.'

            _I thought you had to be in the woods to feed yourselves,_ he scowled, for the first time not liking his lack of knowledge on kitsune.

            '_It's not like that… you have to be surrounded by what gives you strength, or be fed by one who was,_' he murmured in a distracted fashion.  '_But if he's a forest, being underground should weaken him.  He's out of his element, except- he's not acting like he should be.  And it would feel different if he was feeding off a human, so it's not coming from the taijiya boys_.'

            _Is there any way that you've ever heard for that to be possible?_ the frown sharpened when he saw Shippou's hand drop to cover that strange burn he remembered catching a fleeting glimpse of during their fight.  _Some spell?  A trick?_

            Kurama shook his head, echoing Youko's words, _Our nature can't be changed like that.  Perhaps he's not a pure forest, but that's the only way he should be able to do this_.

            Hiei looked at him in surprise, not having expected that side to be the one to answer and shaking off his suspicions for a later time as he tried again unsuccessfully to make out what he was certain was at the heart of that white light, _Opening yourself up to more of what made your soul, Kurama?_

            He sighed, folding his arms over his chest as the unnatural wind sent the poison swirling just beyond their sensory range enough to cause discomfort without injury, _We _will_ win against this inu, no matter what it takes_.  _If I have to let more of Youko's memories and experiences filter into my head to do it, I will_.

            Youko was the one who smiled for them, that particular twist of confidence and cruel determination woven with the inherent seduction of his entire being, '_We have brought ourselves into the den of this puzzle, Hiei.  For all that we bicker with each other, you should know that we do not lose in our pursuits_, _and Sesshoumaru is an adversary that we intend to take very seriously_.'

            _I find it oddly disturbing when you finally act like the kitsune of the legends now that I've been exposed to your complete personality for such a long period of time,_ he gave up on looking into the light in favor of turning back in time to see one of the taijiya put on a pair of sunglasses and lean closer to the other, curious to know what was said when the second hit him smartly upside the head without so much as bothering to look at him.

            '_Tell the truth, hybrid, you know you think it's sexy_,' Youko managed to sneak in a wink before Kurama got control if the scowl that briefly flitted across his face was an indication.

            The shadows in the room began to deepen, that flare retracting so rapidly that they were left blinking in mild disorientation as their overworked senses attempted to adjust to the seeming gloom.  When he heard Yuusuke cursing long and dark beside them, Kurama's hand snapped out and gripped his forearm tight enough to cut him off in surprise, "Kur-?"

            "Let me do the talking," Kurama interrupted quietly, his eyes finally recovering enough to filter out the darkness as he looked up at the youkai staring down at them as dispassionately as if they were no more than the stones they stood on.  "You'll only-" his voice trailed off when Sesshoumaru turned and let the considerably dimmer light of Shippou's foxfire dance around the girl perched on his shoulder.

            Yuusuke's brows drew together when Kurama stopped talking and turned away from him without another word, following the kitsune's eyes back up and feeling his own widen slightly in surprise to see Kagome in that precarious spot, "Is that-?"

            "Kagome," Kurama breathed out, feeling himself relax and narrowing his eyes slightly as he filed away the reaction to examine later.  His eyes darted over her as Sesshoumaru brought them down, smiling in warm delight when he saw the vines curling through her hair and followed them to the bud resting docile against the tie holding the style in place.  _She didn't let him kill it_, his eyes filled with a more languid emotion, warming and trailing up her bare feet, not stopping until he reached her face.

            '_That's definitely the artwork of a kitsune_,' Youko offered a silent salute to Shippou when he saw the way the youkai had puffed up at the sight of her in the stylized kimono.  She ducked her head when he tried to catch her eyes, and he lifted his hand to cover his mouth before Sesshoumaru could see the predatory smile that crossed his lips, '_And now she's feeling shy_… S_he's so cute and sexy I could just-_'

            "Avatar."

            Kurama and Youko both snapped back to the present, eyes losing their warmth in favor of frigid calculation as they observed the form "Takeharuka" was revealing to them, '_Damn, he's pretty_.'

            _Don't start, Youko, or I'll find a way to kick your ass, I fucking swear_, Kurama barely resisted the urge to let his blood move to his cheeks at the embarrassment filling him at his other half's admiring purr.

            Youko flicked a hand dismissively, '_If he and I were ever to engage in intimacy, it'd be a fight to who was on top the entire time, and I can think of a number of other ways I would like to spend my nights than fighting an inu as strong as this one for penetration rights._'

            Hiei coughed, trying to cover the action as he folded his arms over his chest and kept his expression as blank as he could manage when he wanted to laugh at the horrified emotions roiling in Kurama's mind, _Perhaps the two of you can work out a trade to convince him to let you see Kagome_.

            _I am not the bottom_, he growled darkly, eyes flashing with fury before he suppressed it and knowing from the arching silver eyebrow that he hadn't been fast enough to escape notice.  _Youko, you are _not_ to discuss anything that involves penetration until we're finished with this meeting_.

            '_It's not like I plan on letting him do it,_' Youko shrugged, actively reaching out to wind his arms around Kurama's soul and pull them closer together as his voice dropped to a seductive murmur.  '_I want that miko, Kurama, just as much as you do.  I want her under me, begging me and sliding those beautiful hands over my body for as long as I can stand before I can't help but-_'

            Kurama had barely registered the gleam of light before his instincts kicked in and he had flipped backwards to avoid the snap of concentrated youki that split the stones where he'd been standing.  Startled, his eyes traveled up to where Sesshoumaru held two fingers poised and gleaming with pale green light, _A whip_…  _Dammit, he'll be even harder to fight if he's trained in our weapons_.

            "This Sesshoumaru does not abide by disrespectful behavior of any creature that places itself in his path," his eyes narrowed in warning, a promise that the next time he attacked, he would not miss.  "You have disturbed our routine and now when you are granted the audience you request, your attention wanders.  How revoltingly kitsune of you."

            Shippou cleared his throat pointedly and started to scowl only to pause and reluctantly back down when Sesshoumaru looked at him, _Damn insulting prick_.

            Kagome sighed, arching her back to elongate her spine when it kinked and tucking one foot up to balance on his armor while she resisted the urge to intervene on Shippou's behalf.  But she had promised, _Maybe I should have stayed inside_.

            Youko chuckled through Kurama, easing him back with reassurances that he could handle the taiyoukai as he shook out his hair, touching the tip of his tongue to one fang when his eyes shifted to Kagome, "I can assure you, Sesshoumaru, I have no thoughts of disrespect at the moment."

            Kagome's head came up in surprise when his voice dropped, meeting his eyes for a breath of time that seemed to slow, dreamy images from her sleepless nights flashing through her mind so rapidly she was unable to do more than suck in a gasp before she forced her attention elsewhere, _This… is not going to be easy_.

            Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed when Kurama's smile turned smug, reaching up to curl his hand over her thigh again and squeeze until her aura smoothed out and the kitsune's eyes darkened in anger, "You will refrain from needlessly bothering my miko while you impose your presence on my hospitality."

            Hiei's eyebrow kicked up when he saw the faint tightening around her mouth, the hand she had on his shoulder crumpling the white silk beneath it just as she turned to hide that action, _She didn't like hearing that.  You focus on him, Kurama, I'm going to watch the miko_.  _He's paying most of his attention to you anyhow_.

            _Of course he is_, Kurama agreed with that even as he felt his jaw tighten in annoyance at having to leave that part of the meeting to they hybrid.  _He's asserting his possession and we've openly challenged it.  I'm the one he really wants to kill_.

            _What a comforting thought_.

            _Isn't it though?_ Kurama managed to by back a snort at the stereotypical sarcasm, instead staring up the distance to Sesshoumaru's eyes and swearing at the disadvantage.  _This is probably why he wanted us to agree not to change between bodies_.

            '_So he could loom over us?_' Youko wrinkled his nose.  '_He's probably still bitter about that bauble thing I stole from him.  If he knew it was me, anyway_.'

            "Who are you?" Kurabara's voice cut through the tension, bringing almost comical looks of disbelief to the trio behind them and even managing to wipe the murderous shine out of Sesshoumaru's eyes for the moment.

            "I guess they didn't tell him," Shinju's chuckle had the man in question spinning around and pointing at him accusingly.

            "What do you mean by that, Nenjuharuka?!  What the hell is going on here?" his attention darted between one side and the other, tensing when he belatedly realized that Sesshoumaru had sandwiched them in between himself and the three fighters.

            "You will speak with respect or I will remove your tongue personally, filthy human!" Jaken waved his staff threateningly again, preparing to advance on him and do just that when Sesshoumaru's single bark of his name had him freezing in place.  "Forgive your humble servant for speaking out of turn, Sesshoumaru-sama!  I merely thought-"

            Shippou brought his foot down on Jaken's head, smashing the youkai into the ground and grinning up at them despite his battered appearance, "You get used to ignoring him after a while.  Continue…"

            Kaze sighed and straightened when both his brother and Shippou gave him a look that seemed to delegate him to the speaker, setting a fist on his hip as he met Kurabara's eyes and offered, "_He_ is Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, Kurabara-san, the head of the family since Sengoku Jidai.  However, I believe you are more familiar with the assumed name, Takeharuka Masaki?"

            "A youkai…?" Kurabara murmured after a moment, his voice thick with stubborn disbelief as he looked at the creature obviously more than human despite their inability to sense anything unordinary.

            "Unless you think a human would walk around with a fuzzy tail thing tossed over his shoulder and be able to change into a dog the size of our building complex," Shippou couldn't resist adding under his breath, only to hit the ground with a startled yelp when that youki whip snapped across the space that would have been his head.  "Dammit, Sesshoumaru-sama, I didn't say-!"

            "Shippou," Kagome's voice stopped him mid-sentence, looking up to catch the warning in her eyes before he fell silent and nodded in resignation.  When he'd dipped his head in a show of apology, her lips quirked in a smile and she glanced down at Sesshoumaru, "How many?"

            "More than once."

            "Lately?"

            "A decade ago."

            Shippou's cheeks were suspiciously pink as he hissed out, "_One_ little mistake in three centuries-!"

            "What in the _hell_ are you talking about?" Yuusuke finally snapped out when it seemed as though they were being ignored in favor of the weird coded argument.

            "It is of no concern to outsiders," Sesshoumaru intoned easily, heaving a sigh that suggested he was rapidly tiring of their existence.  "Especially not amongst those outsiders who work for that fool who named himself ruler simply because he discovered the separation spells and created an effective system of deception to get his way."

            _I'm actually starting to like this guy_, Hiei admitted with a faint smirk.  _I like the way he thinks_.

            '_Sesshoumaru has always been our kind of bastard_,' Youko chuckled at the surprise in Hiei's tone and offered a mental shrug.  '_I never said I didn't respect him for who and what he is, and especially the shit he's responsible for in the past.  I only said that he's going to lose to us where our miko is concerned.  Nothing personal_.'

            _Only you, Youko_, Kurama sighed with a sort of affectionate exasperation, not wanting to examine Hiei's casual remark about his mental state at the interaction between what was essentially just himself.

            '_Give me the mouth again before we annoy him,_' Youko retorted in a particularly business-like way, sweeping back through their soul again to selectively take over here and there.  '_Inus are a bit bitchy that way, they need attention constantly or they get mean_.'

            _Suddenly I can believe they're related to kitsunes,_ Hiei pasted on what passed for an innocent expression when he earned a renewed glare and a few choice comments from both sides of their soul.  _What?  It is merely an observation of fact_.

            '_You are an aggravating thing at times, hybrid_,' Youko rumbled even as he offered a slight bow to the stoic youkai watching them with unblinking intensity.  "We were unaware any youkai had managed to avoid the separation and retained their lands or else we would have introduced ourselves before now," he offered out loud, trying to urge him into giving them answers, or at least an opening for questions.

            "As you and another of the youkai race are standing in front of me, I find that statement reeking of hypocrisy."

            _You're in a mood_, Kagome lifted a hand to hide an errant grin, her toe brushing along the bare skin of his wrist for an instant before moving on to make that touch seem accidental to any watching eye.

            "Sometimes you pay a price for pleasure," Kurama sighed softly, nodding towards Hiei.  "And there are aspects of our positions that are entertaining in and of themselves."

            "Hunting with the sanction of the beings that have been attempting to govern the human plane," Sesshoumaru snorted disdainfully.

            "Keeps the soul young, after all."

            Shippou rolled his eyes, wincing slightly and pressing his hand over his torn flesh when he felt the burning of youki working to repair it, "You don't have permission to be hunting in the Western Lands, Red.  You want to stay young, you'll back off and move on."

            For a moment, Hiei thought that Kurama would actually completely snap when he felt the dramatic spike in ki and the instant rigidity that took over his body at the blatant and even almost coarse rudeness the kitsune had used to address him.  Even he instinctively cringed away from the absolute fury in Youko's voice, stunned by the way his eyes had begun to glow a deadly, violent scarlet as he hissed about having a kit refer to _him_, an ancient, powerful, fucking **_legendary_** silver spirit as something so bland and common and simple as "red."

            Kagome sighed and shook her head, feeling the ripple in her soul at such thick emotions filling the air calling out to her, warming her soul and tugging at her heart, "This isn't going to get us anywhere."

            Kurama had turned back, expression shifting to curiosity over his banking fury and opening his mouth to reflexive ask for clarification and use the opening to draw her into the conversation when Sesshoumaru turned the hand closest to her feet palm up.  He fell silent when she used the offered hand as a step, bracing herself on the other when it joined to hold her steady on her short hop to the ground.

            "Shippou, can I have a word with you?" Kagome's eyes were narrowed, flicking her hand imperiously to get the youkai in her way to move when she stalked to the flustered and suddenly nervous looking kitsune.

            Youko snickered, mollified and relaxing at her defense of him when she reached up and grabbed Shippou by his ponytail, yanking him along despite his sputtered protests as she obviously moved far enough to avoid their ears, '_Oh he's in trouble.  Our beautiful lover is going to burn his ears off about offering us respect._'

            _She's more annoyed that he's hindering the 'proceedings_,' Hiei offered, head cocked to try and hear what he could before they went out of range.  _Something about a council rule-_

            "Why does a youkai like you keep a miko?  They kill youkai," Yuusuke broke the taut silence with the growled demand, and Kurama barely restrained a wince at the tactlessness of it.

            One brow kicked up, giving off the air of a sort of casual disinterest and disdain.

            '_Very smooth,_' Youko rolled his eyes, reaching out to grip Yuusuke's arm in warning when he felt him winding up to shout.  '_Good gods, we should have left him behind.  At least Kurabara isn't fucking this up by talking_.'

            _I'd say he's gone into a sort of shock,_ Kurama remarked, feeling a slight touch of sympathy for the human, but turning it aside to focus on those cold amber eyes as he ignored Yuusuke's remark completely.  "Thank you for allowing her to decide the fate of my gift," he dipped in a shallow bow, his gaze never leaving the disturbingly still youkai.

            "Don't not mistake her reluctance to permit its destruction as encouragement for your plans, kitsune," Sesshoumaru instructed with the patience of one dealing with a child, or a being that lacked the most basic intelligence.  "Kagome has unfortunately allowed her failure as a proper miko to make her more soft in dealing with sentient things of all inhuman races.  It will be corrected."

            _Touchy subject_, Hiei snorted.

            _Obviously_, Kurama reached back into his hair, touching his fingertips briefly to several seeds to be certain they were easily accessible.  "All the same, Sesshoumaru, I'd rather not have to continuously replace my lover's presents for silly reasons."

            He realized the mistake as soon as the words had left his lips, barely resisting the urge to wince or blanch at the error when the air around them seemed to freeze and crackle under the spark of shielded youki.  He saw Sesshoumaru's eyes narrow and sensed the taijiya boys' waves of displeasure pushing against his aura, trying to insinuate the feelings into him and force him to back down from the intimate claim he had just blithely announced, _Oh goddammit_.

            _Letting your mouth get away from your head, Fox_? Hiei shook his head, glancing at the amazed looks on their own human companions' faces as he took an instinctive pivot to keep both unfriendly groups in sight.  _Congratulations… you idiot, you've managed to make them all want to kill you even more._

            "Your _lover?_" Sesshoumaru's voice was deceptively soft as he lifted one hand, fingers curling as the toxic green glow seeped out across the pale skin, illuminating those perfect features in stark relief.

            Youko pushed Kurama back, tilting their chin up arrogantly and sending the taiyoukai a cold smile, "I will, of course, listen to any objections you may have about our relationship… but I can't promise they will have an effect on my interest.  Or success."

            A creak divided his attention back to the boy holding that massive boomerang, brows lifting at the way those familiar eyes were flashing with indignation, "How depressing… you really are as much an idiot as they predicted."

            '_We will enjoy rubbing our children in the faces of this clan_.'

            "I know what I want," Kurama replied with perfect seriousness, tamping down his own misgivings about the setback and deciding to stick with the direct approach, making sure to focus on the largest threat of this meeting.  "And I see no reason to lie about my intentions.  I asked for introductions to make you aware of what I plan to accomplish with Kagome."

            "Sullying my miko with your unclean hands and kitsune perversions," Sesshoumaru's hand came to rest lightly on Toukujin's hilt.

            "Whatever you think of me, I will still have her," Kurama's voice lowered, smooth as silk and just as deadly as the taiyoukai he faced.  "I have decided to make her mine."  

"Tell me, avatar… what has led you to believe that you could come before this Sesshoumaru and voice this claim with the expectation you would be permitted to walk away with your head still attached to your shoulders?"

            _I'd say we made him mad,_ Kurama blew out a sigh from the safety of their mind as they continued their face-off.  _This could easily become messy_.

            "I am not a weakling to be intimidated, Sesshoumaru," Youko ignored what had suddenly become his cynical side, folding their arms and standing proudly in front of the inu.  "Make no mistake, I will be Kagome's lover regardless of your feelings on the matter.  She would be wasted on a creature that would not put those beautiful hands to good use.  Or would you deny her the satisfaction only I can give her?"

            "Where in the _hells_ is this coming from, Kurama?!" Yuusuke cut in yet again, completely ignoring the bland look he was receiving with his entire focus on his friend.  "I thought we were coming here to ask him what Kagome had to do with Onigumo and that fucking legend about that jewel thing!  And here you're outright saying-"

            "Jewel?"

            Yuusuke stopped mid-breath at the absolutely lethal edge that filled Sesshoumaru's voice, gaping at the source in a sort of awe even as he found his mouth working to produce the answer before he even realized he was speaking, "The Shikon-no-Tama."

            A slow smile touched across Sesshoumaru's lips, holding the promise of things no mortal mind could possibly comprehend and retain their sanity, "Ah… you are dredging up ancient history in addition to harassing my miko…"  His chin tilted, lifting a hand to regard his claws lazily as he murmured, "Which activity came first, I wonder."

            "Then you _do_ know about it," Yuusuke ignored the new warning squeeze from Kurama, brushing him off as he demanded his own answers.  "You know what the hell happened with it and why?  You know the truth?"

            "Yes."

            '_How enlightening,_' Youko muttered in annoyance.  '_Just had to be another youkai in the world with your conversational skills, didn't there, Hiei?  Can't you two do a scowl-bonding or something and convince him to be more forth-coming?_'

            Hiei slanted him a look that promised his response to that would be more physically damaging to him later, _Don't snarl at me because you misspoke earlier than you intended.  You should be satisfied that he hasn't killed you yet and that the miko is too busy lecturing the idiot kit to kill you_.

            '_He's older than you,_' Youko shot back rather than respond to the other portions of that command.

            "Well?" Yuusuke held out his hand, absently gesticulating to try and get more than that single word.  "What is it?"

            Shinju breathed a sigh, twirling the Hiraikotsu with one hand before he brought it down sharply on Yuusuke's head to drive him to his knees, "You are being rude and entirely too demanding, Urameshi-san."

            Kurama's eyes left their startled, dazed leader when he saw Kagome's head come around, her hand over Shippou's mouth to stop his protesting as she took in all their positions a frown of concern, _We should have done this alone_.

            _No use complaining now_, Hiei shrugged, idly wondering what it would be like to fight with those two boys who obviously had unnatural proficiencies with antique weaponry.  _If you're going to pull this out of your ass, now would probably be a good time to do it_.

            "This Sesshoumaru can answer any questions you have regarding these stories," his line of focus moved from them to the miko tilting her head in silent question, dipping his head slightly to pass a message none of them understood.

            "_Finally!_" Yuusuke shoved his arm against the bone edge, wincing when it bit into the skin and settling for ducking out from under it and rubbing his throbbing head.  "Just what the fuck-?"

            Kurama clapped his hand over Yuusuke's mouth, eyes flashing gold as his other hand moved to the back of the other man's head to prevent him from pulling away, "At what cost, Sesshoumaru?"

            Those sculpted lips curved up into that same acid smile as his eyes again darted up to Kagome before returning to the kitsune doing an admirable job of hiding his emotions behind a stern mask.  Were he not so offended by the very sound of his heart beating after the words that had stumbled from his mouth a moment ago, he might have been impressed.

            _At the cost of Kagome,_ Kurama's jaw clenched.  _He'll give us the answers and take her away from us_.

            _You had to expect that_, Hiei snorted, brows drawing low when he saw Kagome reach out and press her hand against that hole in Shippou's side, her eyes softening and lips moving in what seemed to be a more affectionate type of scolding.  _You backed him into a corner and he is returning the favor_.  _Quite well, I'd have to say.  He's beating you_.

            '_The hell he is!_' Youko growled deep in his chest, having to stop himself before he accidentally snapped Yuusuke's neck or suffocated him unconsciously in his frustration.  "And the alternative?  If we do not ask you to depart a single secret regarding that jewel, Sesshoumaru, what will you offer me in return?"

            _That's going to piss Yuusuke off_.

            '_Do we really look like we have any fucking concern for his feelings at the moment?_' Youko continued to watch Sesshoumaru's expression, a faint smile tugging at his lips in helpless admiration for the perfect control the inu held over his emotions.  '_This is war between Sesshoumaru and me.  Yuusuke's desires have no bearing_.'

            _You're going to have a lot of explaining to do once we leave here_, Hiei pointed out, trying desperately not to roll his eyes at Youko's dramatics.

            "This is the only time I will offer this information, kitsune," Sesshoumaru warned him dryly, his hand still caressing the hilt of Toukijin as though longing for a chance to use it against them.  "Agree to leave and never come near my miko again and I will satisfy your every curiosity regarding the past."

            Kurama's brows drew low in annoyance, "You didn't answer me, Sesshoumaru… what other option are you offering?"

            He knew he'd managed to irritate him with his ability to ignore the promise of unlimited answers, but there were certain things that simply held too much importance to be distracted no matter how tempting the easy prize might be.  Agreeing to that offer would still count as a loss and remove Kagome from the position he was determined to bring her into in his life.  Such would be unacceptable, _There are other ways to get information… but this is the only way to the miko by fair means_.

            Sesshoumaru shifted his weight just enough for his stance to widen, blatantly aggressive and threatening as his eyes gleamed with unholy fire, "This Sesshoumaru will order every creature with the knowledge you desire to possess to refuse your questions.  If you do not refrain from them after being told once that it is not a matter for your ears, your safe passage in my lands will be forfeit."

            Kurama's smile showed a flash of fang, his own anger subsiding at the blatant sight of the taiyoukai's growing irritation, "You are still avoiding the matter that truly interests me, Sesshoumaru…  If I agree to no questions, what will my trade be?  Since the other stipulation required that I never see my lover again-" he trailed off suggestively, barely resisting the urge to do more than press the tip of his tongue to his fang.

            _You are truly a sick bastard to poke at a dangerous person in this way,_ Hiei watched curiously when Kagome shivered, wrapping her arms around herself and turning a vague, searching from to Sesshoumaru.  _She can feel his displeasure and it unsettles her_.

            _Considering I can feel it about to crack the ground I'm standing on, that doesn't surprise me_, Kurama snorted, his eyes never leaving Sesshoumaru's as they silently clashed wills.

            Finally, Sesshoumaru's eyes moved back to Kagome, letting his hand fall away from his swords, "You… will be permitted to present your suit to my miko for her company."

            Youko let out a bark of ecstatic triumph, '_HA!  Hear that?  Victory!_'

            "However, if this is the option you select, you will agree to abide by her decisions regardless of your personal feelings, avatar," Sesshoumaru's gaze was back, burning into his as though determined to sear his soul from the inside out.  "One word from my miko that you have crossed the line will result in the instant destruction of that weak body you have created to house your soul and rebuild yourself."

            Yuusuke's foot came down hard on Kurama's eyes blazing and furious as he screamed behind the constricting hand in his attempt to shake the kitsune loose before he made the wrong choice.  Whatever had hit the man in the head to cause this sudden irrational behavior had to be dealt with before it was too late to be salvaged, _Dammit, Kurama, what the hell are you thinking?_!

            "This Sesshoumaru is no longer negotiating," amber eyes swept across the men standing so warily before him, warning them that his patience was at an end.  "Your _options _have been stated.  Now you choose."


	26. Deflection in a Single Bound

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Mwah ha!  The moment of truth has arrived!  -strikes a dramatic pose for a moment before falling flat on her face with a groan-  Phooey… the professionals make that look so easy.  –siigh- Ah well, I may not be a professional, but dammit, I'm entertaining myself.  LOL.  And I had to get this out before Kazusa decided to make good on that threat of forcing me to read nothing but bad fanfiction for a week if I didn't update.  Now I know it seems like it's been a while, but the stupid chapters just keep getting longer no matter what I do… the characters are running away with their lines and adlibbing up a storm!  -sniffle- I feel so used.  …Not really, but I can pretend.  ^.~

As for you, my lovely reviewers, hundreds up hundreds of kisses and thank-you's for all your feedback and support.  Nothing brightens up a day like opening my mail and being able to giggle and blush at the amusing and unbelievably sweet things you say.  As always, I adore hearing your thoughts, even if you think you're rambling, I enjoy it more that I ever thought I would.  But as I'm sure you want to know if Yuusuke or Kurama wins the argument, I'll stop now.  –bows and blows kisses- I love and adore you all!

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name 

~Deflection in a Single Bound~

            "You are already aware of what my answer is going to be… Sesshoumaru," Kurama drawled out smugly, keeping his hands firmly in place over Yuusuke's mouth to be certain the decision was finalized from the taiyoukai's own lips before he let the volatile man go off on what was sure to be a prime rant.  "So long as I can trust the Western Lord to be honorable enough not to interfere by giving any sort of 'special' instructions for Kagome to be unreceptive to my attention."  _Since he's right for the moment…  If he gives her an order, she'll obey it.  She doesn't love us enough to stand up to him_.

            '_Yet_.'

            Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed sharply not only at the insinuation, but as though something in Kurama's multi-toned eyes had given away those private thoughts while he continued to hold his faint smirk.  The stones beneath their feet sizzled with the light drip of poison from the taiyoukai's claws before he murmured with quiet menace, "This Sesshoumaru has no use or need for underhanded tactics of such a nature.  My miko is not a fool or a plaything for the likes of you, and as such, you will no doubt prove yourself offensive to her soon enough to cease your invasion of our family."

            '_I wonder if he's saying such things to convince himself Kagome will find us unappealing,_' Youko chuckled easily, all his earlier tensions fading away as he fairly strutted about in the confines of their body at their all-but assured victory.  '_She doesn't seem the type to kiss and tell, so maybe we should clue him in that we already know she likes how we taste._'

            _And tempt the Fate that's kept us alive and on the successful side of this meeting?  I'd rather not just yet_, Kurama scolded him, but it held less heat than it had previously, eyes straying to where Kagome had just let Shippou drop his forehead wearily onto her shoulder.  Or more correctly, hungrily following the path of her hands as they slowly combed through the younger kitsune's hair in a soothing gesture, bringing a sharp curl of envy through his own stomach at the tender familiarity between the two of them.

            Yuusuke took full advantage of his wandering attention to jerk himself free of Kurama's hands, practically snarling as he fisted his hand in his shirt and yanked him forward, "What the _fuck_ is this?!  What makes you think it's your decision to make you sorry excuse for a-"

            Kurama's hand was right back over his mouth before he could say more, glaring at him in frustration and hissing out rapidly, "Shut _up_, Yuusuke, or did you not notice that this is neither the time, nor the place for your brand of discussion?"

            _Do you want to know what's going through his mind right now?_ Hiei was openly snickering in his mind as he made the offer.  _It's quite interesting_.

            _Probably safer for both of us if I don't_, Kurama sighed and shook his head.  _It's not his choice to make, no matter what he thinks.  He'll make the wrong one, and I can't let that happen for something so important._

            _His thoughts are disturbingly similar to your own but for different reasons_, Hiei pointed out with a shrug.  _And while I am horribly loathing admitting to this, I'm tempted to agree with him this time.  It would be easier for us, and probably more productive if you just gave up on this empty miko and found a different human girl.  We'd have all the information we could ask for about this legend, and possibly make something of an ally out of a powerful inu taiyoukai_.

            '_But I wouldn't get my miko_,' Youko denied with a particularly obstinate snort.  '_What's worse, if he _did_ turn into an ally, he would rub that failure in my face continuously whenever we were forced into his company.  No, there's only one correct decision.  Like a test…  There will be other ways to discover the truth of the Shikon and my miko's involvement, but this is my only chance to take her from this pack peacefully_.'

            _I just hope you know what you're doing, Fox_, Hiei sighed heavily after another short contemplating silence, but took a step back to indicate he would side with his decision in the matter.  _I'll take it out of your hide in a way I can guarantee you won't enjoy if we get fucked over for your obsession_.

            '_Stop being paranoid and trust us,_' Youko didn't sound particularly impressed with the threats, lounging back even as he kept a sharp handle on Yuusuke before he could squirm free again and manage to shout something that would allow the taiyoukai to take a different route out of the meeting.  '_I can smell when the puzzle runs deeper than the surface, and it's not _just_ because I want her for myself.  If we answer wrong here, that's it_.  _Sesshoumaru won't give us a second chance, and you know it as well as I do_.'

            "Kagome doesn't seem to hold the same narrow distaste for my breed that you do," Youko spoke up before too much time had elapsed, subtly elbowing Yuusuke in the stomach when he felt teeth digging into his palm.  "Without you breathing down her neck in disapproval, I'm certain our lover will feel safe to relax and enjoy me the way she should."

            "My miko has had more than enough experience with kitsune and their tricks to last a dozen human lifetimes and more without adding the unfortunate experience of you," Sesshoumaru informed him easily, taking a single step forward and seizing him by the throat to lift him up off his feet, Yuusuke falling hard to the ground at the unexpected attack.

            _This again,_ Kurama caught himself before he actually sighed out loud, knowing that was the worse possible thing he could do in such a vulnerable position.

            '_Inu's like to go for the throat,_' Youko nonchalantly offered his explanation.  '_Instinct.  It's a quick kill_.' 

            _I feel so much better_, he internally rolled his eyes to accompany that dry comment, ignoring the less than mature response from his counterpart. 

Ignoring the outraged curses from the fallen man, Sesshoumaru brought his eyes directly in line with Kurama's before he whispered quietly, "You will not find an easy seduction in her, avatar.  You would be better served to turn your attentions to another and take advantage of this Sesshoumaru's willingness to impart information you do not deserve to have."

            Yuusuke rubbed at his mouth to dispel the lingering numbness, pushing himself up and just beginning to speak when Hiei darted forward.  A simple twist brought his foot flat against the taller man's chest just hard enough to send him crashing back into Kurabara in a tangle of limbs, as he folded his arms and motioned with his head for the kitsune to continue.

Kurama smirked at the assistance and met Sesshoumaru's cool gaze as he reiterated his decision, "I prefer the warmth of my lover to hearing your story… no matter how tempting the offer is for answers I _do_ want.  I just happen to want her more."

            Sesshoumaru continued to stare at him without a sound, almost seeming not even to breathe for a long moment more before he let out disgusted snort and opened his fingers to drop him to the ground, "You will not win in whatever you are plotting for my miko, kitsune.  Better than you have tried and failed in catching her favor."

            Kurama's eyes flashed, his lips curling up off the point of one elongating fang just enough to deepen the threatening expression, "There will never be a _better_ creature, youkai or not, Sesshoumaru.  She was meant to belong to Youko Kurama or I wouldn't be here."

            _Youko_, Kurama ground out warningly.  _Stop pushing him before he gets nasty_.

            '_If I _don't _push he won't respect us, Kurama, knock it off!_' Youko snapped back irritably at the continued interference.  '_You didn't want to know what we know about this breed and that time, so I didn't tell you, but it was not a time for backing down or hesitating.  Either one will make him decide we're weaklings who don't belong in his family._'

            _He's right_, Hiei offered, keeping his eyes trained on the struggling pair behind them cautiously, ready to intercede again to keep them out of the discussion if necessary.  _As much as I hate to say it, Kurama, trust Youko for now_._  He's experienced with this kind of meeting, and he's old enough for Sesshoumaru to consider him an opponent_.

            "A murdering thief chasing my miko," Sesshoumaru's eyebrow kicked back up, this time displaying sardonic amusement at Kurama's unwavering claim.  "You think she could care for something like you?  Something inhuman?  A creature with the blood of thousands of humans and youkai on his claws for nothing but its own twisted amusements?"

            '_I'm flattered, it seems he remembers us after all,_' Youko held in a chuckle as he shared his impressions with both Hiei and his other side.  '_He recalls what we were famous for_.'

            _But he thinks we're too stupid to recognize that Kagome surrounds herself with these deadly youkai from less peaceful times_, Kurama snorted in disgust.  _If this is any indication, it doesn't seem to make a difference to her that they've got blood on our hands or not_.  _She does not hesitate in showing them her affection_.__

'_Exactly_.'

            "She obviously cares about _you_," Youko was already rewording their observations to answer without the slightest hint of uncertainty, eyes shrewd and bright as he watched the minute shifts in the taiyoukai's gaze.  "If she was the type to hold a grudge for the sins of the past, I doubt you would have your so-called claim to her.  Or are you conveniently forgetting that your hands are probably dirtier than mine, taiyoukai?"

            Sesshoumaru let out a cold laugh, lifting his hand and curling his claws towards his palm as they lit with that same unholy green light, "Clever little kitsune…"  _Perhaps you will provide this Sesshoumaru with entertainment after all_.

            He dipped his head in a mockery of a respectful bow, "I told you once that I was a creative survivor.  I did not get to this age by being a fool, or unobservant.  Did you actually think I couldn't see the way her tension leaves her when she touches a youkai instead of a human?"

            The green light slowly dissipated when he looked over their heads again to find Kagome watching him through her lashes where her chin rested on Shippou's shoulder.  He could feel her power licking along his senses, whispering to him softly in its effort to sooth his disquieted soul before he sighed and let his hand lower to his side and forced himself to calm, "There are few creatures who will treat those born under the curse of a miko's bloodline as equals.  Kagome has come to find what she requires with this Sesshoumaru, and as such, has come to take comfort in youki when we choose to offer it.  Your observation is impressive, yet hardly as significant as you seem to think."

            "I didn't think the 'miko-curse' was as severe in this era," he pressed slightly, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes as he watched for anything that could give away any more hints.  "Since we youkai have slipped into fantasy and the status of temples is no longer as powerful as it was when we were younger."

            Sesshoumaru's lips turned up in a cruel smirk yet again, "And how many temples have you searched in this new era to see these changes for yourself?"

            Youko took a step back in their consciousness to scowl from the safety of their mind, '_Sneaky bastard… he's trying to make us back down by _reminding_ us how we feel about holy magic._'

            _What's the problem?  We just avoid- oh,_ Kurama blinked in realization, almost turning to look at Kagome over his shoulder before Youko caught him and held their eyes on Sesshoumaru.  _He's threatening us by proxy_…

            '_No matter_.'

            "This Sesshoumaru raised Takashima from a kit, avatar," Sesshoumaru dipped his head towards the embracing pair, giving them the impression he was fully aware how much Kurama didn't care for that sight.  "There is a great deal about kitsune ways and weaknesses that I have learned over our centuries."

            Kurama blew out a sigh and leaned back, cocking his head at an arrogant angle to show the tactics weren't dissuading him in the least, "If you think that would convince me, Sesshoumaru, you simply will have to try harder.  To me, this just means I don't have to explain my actions to you in regards to my lover.  Even if you don't understand, you have a translator right on hand."

            Hiei almost started snickering, _How appropriate to suggest one needs another kitsune to translate just how odd you idiots are when it comes to your own behavior_.

            _Now is really not the time, Hiei_, Kurama growled at him irritably before Youko could get distracted.

            "This Sesshoumaru believes Takashima is holding a grudge over the fact that your gift utterly destroyed one of his favorite outfits," Sesshoumaru informed him blandly.  "If you believe he will be of assistance to you in any way, you are not nearly as intelligent as I gave you credit for."

            "I expect him to fight me more than you do, inu," Kurama chuckled, brushing his hand through his hair to again press fingertips against his seeds in a deceptively casual motion.  "But, I think the reasons behind that will stay between kitsune," he winked at him just to see those golden eyes narrow.  "It's not any fun if _all_ the secrets are gone."

            "You have grown tiresome, avatar," Sesshoumaru's hand lashed out again, grabbing his throat tight enough to send a grimace of pain across his face as he was hoisted into the air yet again.  "No second chances and no exceptions…  Speak your choice."

            Hiei was ready when he saw Yuusuke trying to shove himself up and answer when he heard the final ultimatum, springing onto Kurabara's back and forcing them back down in that tangle hard enough to knock the wind from their lungs and ensure silence long enough for Kurama to choose.

            Kurama's lips split in a dark grin, brows drawing low and eyes sparking red for the briefest instant as his hands wound around Sesshoumaru's wrist to hold his balance, "You haven't changed my mind, Western Lord.  Kagome will be my lover, and to hell with what you know of that fucking rock.  It wasn't enough to draw my interest then, and it sure as hell isn't enough now, not when the alternative is so very appealing to me."

            Sesshoumaru stared into his eyes for a long, taut beat of time, not even a hint of emotion crossing the sculpted perfection of his face before he abruptly opened his hand and let Kurama drop to the ground, "So be it."

"Sesshoumaru-sama, are you sure this is-?" Shinju took a careful step forward to prod, his brows deeply furrowed as he reached up and loosened his mask enough to pull it down around his neck.

            "No questions and no information," Sesshoumaru cut the boy off with an impatient flick of his hand, turning to pin them with a hard glare, and waiting for their nods of understanding before frowning at the youkai in front of him again.  "No exceptions and no excuses.  Takashima."

            "Yeah?" Shippou's voice lifted after a few muttered curses that didn't carry loudly enough to be accurately translated before he was walking back into their circle, still furiously scrubbing at his eye.  "Stupid fucking inu poison," he gritted out as he stalked past Shinju and Kaze, choking off when Sesshoumaru wrapped a hand around his throat and lifted him up the same way he had to Kurama just a moment ago, "You have a phone call to make, I believe?"

            He dug his claws into Sesshoumaru's wrist, growling and twisting to break free of that choking hold until he found himself flung off towards the entrance with enough force to make the walls shiver yet again the moment his back struck stone.

            Youko shook his head with a sympathetic sigh, '_Now that really was uncalled for_.'

            _Maybe you should apologize then_, Hiei suggested, turning again to see the look of disapproval crossing Kagome's face before she turned under the guise of reaching into the shadows to hide it from them.  _Since it's your fault the inu is taking out his frustration on the other kitsune_.

            _I might consider it later, but not now and not in front of others_, Kurama stayed alert and wary when Sesshoumaru scowled at him again before striding past them all to corner Kagome at the edges of the gloom.  _It would insult him if I did it that way_.

            _Kitsune pride_, Hiei muttered in disgust.

            _You would be insulted in similar circumstances, so don't even start,_ he arched an eyebrow and squinted to try and make out just what the Western Lord was saying to his lover to make her brow furrow in that particular expression of distaste.

            Finally, she gave him a nod and smiled, Kurama's fists clenching at his sides while he held back the growl Youko was encouraging them to make at seeing her grace another man with such an affectionate face.  Even more so when she reached up to cup his chin, raising up on her toes despite his unchanging expression to press a kiss to his cheek, '_He's not allowed to touch her in such ways!  Dammit all to hell!_'

            _She _is _the one touching him-_ Hiei winced and stepped back under the blistering curses that suddenly flooded his mind, blocking him out and scowling at him openly.

            "You're not going to make him combust or anything just by glaring at the back of his head, you know," Shinju remarked casually, bringing the Hiraikotsu down in front of Kurama just enough to make him start and switch the direction of his focus to give Kagome more privacy.  "They always do that when he's leaving her alone for a little while, so calm down."

            _They kiss?_ Kurama blinked, looking from the vivid eyes of the boy beside him back to where Kagome was dropping back to her heels and nodding more at some quietly spoken instruction.

            "You're thinking something perverted, aren't you?" Shinju's tone changed to disapproval, shaking his head as though the very thought pained him.  "I thought kitsune were supposed to know the differences in kissing instinctually.  Are you broken or something?"

            This time Hiei was definitely chuckling, and Kurama shot him a quelling glare as he gritted out, "He's doing it to piss me off."

            "Actually, Kagome-sama is doing it to show him that she holds him in high regard and trusts his decisions," Kaze returned with a stoic look of his own that had them grudgingly admitting that he was doing an impressive job of it for a human.  "And if you are having difficulty with watching this, you will not last long in your endeavors.  She shows affection through touching, a concept kitsune are supposed to be familiar with."

            '_I am _not _going to be lectured by a human boy about my own race's mannerisms,_' Youko flexed their hands as though readying claws, not the least bit surprised when both boys slipped into positions that could easily switch to defend themselves.

            "Houshi," Sesshoumaru's growl had them all snapping back to attention, turning to see Kagome standing just behind him with her shakujou in hand, her eyes straying off in the direction Shippou had been thrown earlier.

            "Sir," Shinju straightened, flipping the Hiraikotsu to his back in a fluid, practiced motion before he offered a slight bow.

            "Stay with Kagome."

            "Yes, sir," he grinned widely at that, even more when Kagome rolled her eyes and pasted on a mild expression at Sesshoumaru's challenging look.

            "Hitokaze-san, you will follow this Sesshoumaru," the taiyoukai said nothing more, his silent steps carrying him back towards the entrance as a faint glow settled around his body before it seemed to pulse and shrink back in on itself.  The human disguise of Takeharuka firmly in place before he turned to send a final censoring glare at the collected grouping again while Kaze fell in step beside him, "Show them out, miko.  There is nothing more for them to see in the walls of my enterprise."

~*~*~*~

            Shinju glanced inquiringly at Kagome, waiting for her to nod before he burst out laughing and relaxed with a shake of his head, "Hell, Ka- Kagome-sama, you weren't kidding when you said this was going to be formal.  That was just as bad as our holidays, but no sake to make it fun."

            Kagome reached up into her hair and yanked at the tie to let it spill down around her shoulders, shoving her fingers through it impatiently as she struggled with her own thoughts about the "meeting" and waited for their guests to recover enough to speak, "No kidding."  _That definitely could have gone much better… but on the other hand, it could have gone worse too_.

            Before she'd completed the thought and convinced herself to look at the kitsune she could _feel_ watching her, Yuusuke had flung Kurabara to the side with a violent shout and shot to his feet, "God_dammit_, Kurama, what in the holy flying _fuck_ were you thinking?!  Don't you realize how easy this could have been for us?  And where do you get off making a decision that important by yourself, huh?  We should have talked to each other and-!"

            "Let you make an inappropriate decision?" Kurama finished in a cool voice, never taking his eyes off Kagome as he watched the way her fingers tightened on the staff, her shoulders lift slightly with her held breath… and the pink seeping into her cheeks under his attention.

            '_She heard everything,_' Youko purred out in satisfaction.  '_Good… she knows we think more of her than that legend he tried to bribe us with_.'

            "Did you stop to think that you weren't the _only_ one here, you selfish bastard?" Yuusuke fumed, stalking forward to grab his shirt and shake him once in his frustration.  "How could you do that?"

            Kurama arched an eyebrow at him, turning his head to Kagome again before looking out of the corner of his eyes at Yuusuke's face, "Firstly, Yuusuke, it _was_ my decision, as I was the one who challenged Sesshoumaru to start with.  And second… how could I not?"

            "We _need_ to know what's going on," he hissed and dragged Kurama even closer to him, his temper spiking at the kitsune's inattention, and completely mindless to their audience curiously watching the verbal altercation.  Even unaware of the strangely shrewd expression on Shinju's face as he inched closer to Kagome and gave her a nudge with his elbow.  "One girl, Kurama, _one!_  Couldn't you have found a different girl?"

            Kurama's hand snapped up suddenly, knocking both Yuusuke's hands aside and gripping his throat in a way that was oddly similar to the way a certain taiyoukai had been handling him lately before he challenged in a snarl, "If it was the legend or Keiko, Yuusuke, would you and I even be having this idiotic conversation?"

            Yuusuke frowned, shoving himself out of Kurama's hand, "It ain't the same as this, Kurama, Keiko and I have known each other for years, we've got kids and everything.  I wouldn't give all that, or her up over a stupid legend."

            "Then don't expect me to feel guilty over my choice," Kurama's voice dropped purposefully, slanting Kagome a warm look and smiling when he saw her trying not to peek at him through her hair.  "Some prizes are too important to let go for the sake of an easy victory."

            Shinju leaned down and hid his mouth behind his hand as he whispered, "Oh he's smooth…  No wonder you like him, Kaa-san, he's obviously got the mouth."

            Kagome brought her heel back lightly against his shin and muttered to him, "Stop that, Shinju.  All kitsune have 'the mouth,' as you insist on calling it, you perverted little freak.  That's why I'm sure Miroku-sama's great-great grandfather either was or married one of them.  It's the only reason I can think that all of you retained this personality."

            He grinned unrepentantly, slinging his arm around her shoulders and speaking in a more normal voice, "Ah, but I am a monk of the most humble nature, Kagome-sama!  You wound me with such slanderous remarks on my character."

            "The Hiraikotsu is looking awfully convenient right now," Kagome gave him a pointed look that had him sliding back a step and lifting his hands in a placating gesture.

            "I will, of course, appropriately stand at a distance while you converse with our guests, Kagome-sama," Shinju's voice was dripping with such humility and respect that she burst out laughing, unable to stop herself at such a typical response, shaking her head and reaching over to give him a teasing smack on the head.

            "Baka," Kagome felt the majority of her unease slough off after that, trying and failing not to feel the warming in her soul at the way the strange kitsune had so vehemently denied the temptations of the Shikon-no-Tama for her.  Knowing he had heard of it in the past, knew some of the story at least, and still chose her without knowing her own involvement made her eyes brighten and brought a wide smirk on her face as she struck the end of the shakujou hard against the stone, _I think… that's the first time I've met a youkai without the jewel, without knowing I'm only around them because of it_.  Bracing her other fist on her hip, she forced her thoughts to the back of her mind for a later, more thorough perusal and met Kurama's eyes directly, "So I'm a prize now, am I?"

            He blinked, taken aback by the abrupt turnabout in her attitude while Youko was chuckling in open appreciation at the recovery and dipping their head, "Only of the utmost quality, little lover, but I'm not so stupid as to think that was all it took to convince you I've won."  

            '_Oh no… I expect we will have to play this game for a time and show you just how perfect we are before you will give yourself and all that beautiful loyalty over to us,_' he purred darkly in their mind, sending a chill down Kurama's spine at the utter conviction in his voice.

            Yuusuke's scowl was right back in place at hearing such an un-Kurama response coming from the kitsune, mouth open to accuse Youko of taking over when he felt Hiei's hand on his wrist and the sudden intrusion into his mind, _Let him handle this, Yuusuke.  This is his game for now, and will remain so unless he leads us to the wrong end_.

            He yanked his arm out of Hiei's hold, folding it across his chest and huffing in reluctant compliance, "This is such bullshit."

            Kagome was chuckling to herself, the smile on her face changing into something warm and teasing as she switched the shakujou to her left hand and absently leaned against Shinju's shoulder to accuse, "Did you really have to piss him off so much?  Sesshoumaru's really not a bad guy, but he's just not the most tolerant youkai in the world…"

            _If that's not an understatement,_ Kurama's eyes flashed bright as he responded to her softening attitude, straightening his posture and letting his own misgivings go to bask in her reception.

            '_Not a bad guy?_' Youko repeated in disbelief before letting out a bark of laughter.  '_That old bastard was bluffing us… damn, even more than I thought he was.  If he's "not a bad guy," Kurama, we're going to look like a fucking saint to her_.'

            "Besides, being what you are, you have to understand that we don't get many strangers with the best of intentions," her eyes turned knowing, catching and holding his in a way that let him clearly see that she still held a number of suspicions about his motives.  "And while we appreciate the acts of the Reikai when something dangerous gets loose, we aren't leaving our home," her attention slid away from him to focus sternly on Yuusuke.

            _In other words, they're ready to fight us if we're here to send them to Makai_, Hiei snorted in Kurama's head, the frown settling back on his face in agitation as he failed to sense anything in either of the humans before them.

            "That's not our objective, Kagome," Kurama assured her quickly, sending a glare at Yuusuke that was dark enough to send the man back a step in alarm before he caught himself and glared back.  "I actually saw you for the first time long before we had heard the Shikon-no-Tama being discussed again, or even realized Sesshoumaru was in the Ningenkai," he watched her eyes widen and just as quickly narrow, darting across his face as she searched for a hint of deception.

            _Why the hell did you tell her that?  She'll see through you, _Hiei shifted his position back to the other side of Kurama when Kurabara finally managed to get to his feet, shaking his head to dispel the ringing in his ears while the others stayed focused on the staring match.

            _It's not a lie, Hiei,_ he smiled and made a little motion with his fingers to get the vine in her hair to rouse and curl around her throat, watching her hand move to absently pet it until it settled down again.  _I saw her the same day we first saw Takashima, standing in a doorway to a… Oh my gods, I saw the shrine there!  Goddammit, I wasn't even thinking of it the other times, but I saw her in the doorway of a shrine in that neighborhood when I watched Takashima leaving_.

            "That isn't possible," Kagome shook her head, lifting her hand up to press over her heart when she felt nothing in him to suggest he was making it up.  "I would have seen you."  _What the hell is going on?  He saw me before?  But… if it's not the jewel…  Why did he pick me to chase after?_

            To the amazement of the others, it was Shinju who leaned down, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and offering in a low voice, "Kagome-sama… please try to recall your… condition prior to now.  It… actually is possible he _has_ seen you."

            '_Condition?_' Youko frowned, not liking the idea of secrets being kept from him, especially not a secret that suggested his chosen lover was suffering from an unnamed illness. 

            "You sick?" Yuusuke cocked his head to one side, distracted enough from the absolute gravity in the previously cheerful boy's voice to leave Kurama alone.

            Kagome could feel her cheeks heat, trying to smile and wave off the concern even as their eyes took on a calculating gleam, "Oh!  No, no… well, not anymore, anyhow.  It was… just a temporary illness."  _If you can call closing off your entire living aura to hide everything from your own senses for fear of being alone an illness_.

            Kurama had managed to close the distance between them, not bothering to hide his speed given her own ties to youkai, and clasping her hand gently but firmly, "Is this something you can tell us?"  _Kurabara said Sesshoumaru had to send her away, perhaps this was the reason for it?_

            _Just an illness?_ Hiei arched an eyebrow, lips twitching at the way the miko was trying to politely extract her hand unsuccessfully from Kurama's grasp.  _That seems a bit extreme_... _and you really should let her go before that boy decides to see how hard your stubborn head is_.  _He's giving you a look_.

            Kagome glanced at Shinju, catching his shrug to show he wasn't sure what to tell her in that regard before she tried tugging her hand away from the warmth of Kurama's and offered, "I…"  _Wait a sec… I can use this!_  She straightened her spine and glanced over at Hiei, unaware of the frown her wandering gaze brought to her "lover's" face, "You remember asking me about my aura, right?"

            Hiei unconsciously tilted his head in wary confusion, folding his arms over his chest and nodding as he tried to puzzle out the reason behind her change in topics, "Hn."  _It was only a week ago, and it's not something that one is likely to forget for fuck's sake_.

            _Be serious, Kagome, it's all in how you sound when you're saying it.  Sound confident and they'll buy it,_ she tugged at her hand once more before giving up when Kurama ended the attempts by lacing their fingers together.  "My ki was trying to devour itself," she offered, mentally shooting a prayer up to whatever gods might be listening that this would work.  "It's why you say I don't have an aura… Sesshoumaru sent me away to be healed before it could consume itself to the point that it killed me."

            There was a painful stretch of silence while Kagome carefully held her expression to hide the anxiety trying to beat at her head until finally Yuusuke lifted a hand to his head and repeated in awed confusion, "Devour… itself?"

            _Oh thank gods,_ Kagome could have shrieked with glee, but settled for nodding as though eager to offer them whatever information she could about the phenomenon now.  "None of the monks or doctors I had seen could figure out what was wrong, but it was just turning in on itself a little at a time.  I wasn't giving anything off because my soul wasn't letting it past my body, and I haven't quite recovered completely from it yet."  _That's true somewhat_.

            "That's creepy," Kurabara finally joined in, shaking his head and stuffing his hands down in his pockets as he obviously struggled to adjust to the information overload he'd received.  "Is… is that why we can't feel the youki around here?  The thing that infected you?"

            Kagome's brows shot up, stunned that he would offer that kind of an out for their hidden auras and mentally debating its merits as his companions turned a variety of expressions on him, "I hadn't thought about it… I mean, I know people are supposed to be able to sense youkai, but I didn't have that kind of training."  _Until muuuuch later_.  "Maybe it was something around here if you say it's not just me."

            "Sesshoumaru didn't want to send her away, but it would have been a mistake to keep her here," Shinju added smoothly, sending her a shielded wink as he settled into their "story-telling" mode: vague in the most detailed as possible way.  "Kagome-sama promised to return when she was able, and we waited with the utmost patience for that time."

            _They're definitely good_, Hiei's eyes narrowed sharply as he shared that thought with Kurama.

            _Don't believe them?_

            _Yes and no,_ he watched Kagome's hand close into a fist over her heart as Shinju answered more questions for Kurabara and Yuusuke.  _I get the feeling they aren't _lying_ to us-_

            _But they aren't giving us the truth either_, Kurama slid his thumb gently across the back of Kagome's hand, inwardly preening when she shivered and involuntarily squeezed his fingers.  _They're talking the same way those legends are written, answering us without telling us what we really want to hear_.

            '_I'm so proud of you for seeing that on your own that were it not completely physiologically impossible, Kurama, I would kiss you,_' Youko wound his arms around their soul, sending the impression of nuzzling his ear with open affection and no small amount of that said pride.  '_We should celebrate by taking Kagome out to dinner, then for a walk in the woods where we can pin her up against a tree and-_'

            _Should I excuse you two before you scare her? _Hiei drawled out in amusement, waiting until the kitsune caught himself and patted Kagome's hand reassuringly on seeing her concerned look before he started to tease.  _Or were you planning to take her to the ground right here in front of everyone?_

            '_You have the romantic instincts of a dying wombat_,' Youko made a rude sound in his throat before ignoring the hybrid to watch Kagome nervously tug at her hair while she cut in here and there to make corrections or stop a line of information with cultivated precision.  His voice slowly took on a more distracted note as he watched her fingers glide with mindless elegance through the thick strands to smooth it down, '_No wonder I had to do all the work in our relationship_.'

            _You did all the work because our so-called 'relationship' was only alive in your overloaded, perverted kitsune head,_ Hiei folded his arms over his chest and calmly held the vivid eyes of the boy Sesshoumaru had called "Houshi," trying to figure out what it was about him that seemed so odd.  Not necessarily out-of-place, just… a niggling feeling like he wasn't what he appeared to be.

            '_I feel so used_.'

            _Don't make me get your blood all over that miko_, Hiei's eyebrow twitched as his concentration shattered.

            '_The best years of my human childhood wasted on a heartless, abusive boyfriend-_'

            _If you don't knock that off, I swear I'm going to kill you where you stand,_ he cut him off before Youko could get anymore into his little dramatic tirade.  _Sesshoumaru would probably consider me a godsend_ _and offer me anything my black little heart desired_, _including the legend of the Shikon-no-Tama_.

            '_Cold-hearted little fucker_.'

            _Yes, and that's why you try to seduce me on a daily basis, you sick twisted freak_, Hiei shot right back, smirking when Youko sent him an obscene gesture and went back to encouraging Kurama to touch Kagome.

            "Oh!  I finally remembered something!" Shinju smacked a closed fist into his open hand with a look of innocent realization, effectively stopped all the conversations around them and bringing the attention to himself.

            "Something?" Yuusuke set a fist on his hip, gesturing with his other hand when the information didn't follow that shout.  "Something that has to do with Kagome being sick?  Or just something you needed to tell us?"

He nodded, pointing a finger at Kurama and letting devilish mischief sparkle brightly where Kagome couldn't see it, "You're the guy who ruined Kagome-sama's sleeping with the dreaming rose, aren't you?"

            "Yes…  What about it?" Kurama blinked in confusion, waving off the confused looks from his companions.

            "Kagome-sama merely wanted me to remind her of that so she didn't forget her promise to you," he informed Kurama, taking an exaggerated step to the side before he offered them a devious grin.

            A chill of foreboding snaked down Kurama's spine when he recognized that gleam in the boy's eyes, a gleam that he had seen often enough in his own or Hiei's right before they- _Oh fuck_.

            Kagome's fist connected with his jaw on the heels of that thought, knocking him back a step as he reached up instinctively to cover his cheek with his palm and gape at her.  He was dimly aware of a snort behind him that turned rapidly into snickers before two voices rose in veritable gales of laughter, knowing without having to turn that Yuusuke and Kurabara were having a grand good time at the expense of his pride.  While Hiei elected to let a smile grace his lips and echo his own laughter almost painfully loud in his rattled head.  

She was flexing her right hand absently, the color in her face high with belatedly remembered embarrassment and her eyes almost seeming to glow on their own with her jumbled emotions, "Thank you, Shinju, I did ask you that.  Now… you didn't think I was about to let you get away with embarrassing me like that, did you, Kurama?"  _Actually… he almost did, but better late than never_.  _Dammit, I should have punched him before we started to talk!_

            '_I thought she was kidding about that_,' Youko could still feel his lips trying to curl upwards in amusement, holding it in with effort when he really just wanted to sweep her up and kiss that flustered look off her face.

            _So did I_, Kurama gingerly pulled his hand away from his cheek and offered her what he hoped was an appropriately chastised expression.  "I did not intend for you to be inconvenienced, Kagome," he tried for a more gentle tone, swatting Hiei when he heard the hybrid scoff.

            "Just frustrated half out of my mind," she mumbled under her breath, flicking her hand to be sure her energy had slipped through it and corrected any potential bruising.  _Damn hard-headed youkai_.

            "I wanted to give you something that would remind you that you were in my thoughts," Kurama carefully schooled his face to reveal more innocence, mind racing for a way to redirect her down a less touchy path.  "Something that could look out for your welfare in my absence-"

"What the hell were you thinking?!  It _talks,_ Kurama," she turned to scowl briefly at Yuusuke when that brought a new sound of choked amusement out of him before refocusing on venting at the beautiful kitsune in front of her.  "It's a plant, and it talks to me, do you know how creepy that is when you're half asleep?"  _And it's putting thoughts in my head that make it impossible to dream of anything but you_.  _That make me remember…_

            "Well it really doesn't so much talk really as it does whine and reach for her if we try to take it away-" Shinju started only to trail off at the murderous look he was receiving from his mother.  "What?" he cleared his throat and tried to go back over what he'd said wrong.

            Kagome dropped her head into her hand, using the other to prop up the elbow as she massaged the throbbing at her temples, only to stop with a rather impressive growl for a human when two little vines separated from the whole and took up the motion for her with an odd grumbling sound, "Do you see what I mean?"

            '_Well, well… this _is _a surprise,_' Youko observed critically, prodding Kurama closer to get a better feel for the way his plant was responding to her.

            _What is it?_ Hiei tried to find what held the kitsune's fascination, annoyed at the way he had to wait on an explanation like the others.

            '_You can't tell?  C'mon, Hiei, don't be dense!  It actually_ is_ talking to her, it likes her,_' Youko chuckled and pointed out, reaching out their hand to brush to backs of his fingers over Kagome's cheek and bring her face jerking up in surprise even as they were moving on to lightly touch the vine.  '_Not the edible way, and it's not just that we gave it orders to stay close to her and to protect her, it's enjoying itself being near her.  Something about a vibration…_ _and it says she's very good to it even though she tries to act disturbed_.'

            _So she's posing_, Kurama observed the renewed blush on her cheeks, tracing the sweep of color to her ear before gliding the tip of his finger down the side of her throat and drinking in the way her heart started to race against his skin.  _She's fishing for reasons to act mad at us_.

            '_Not that it will work, but it's a good try_,' Youko nodded with satisfaction.  '_She understands it on some level, and she likes it enough to care for it, but she knows Sesshoumaru doesn't approve.  It's probably just guilt confusing her into thinking she should push us away_.  _We can fix that_.'

            "It likes you," Kurama tried to reassure her when she cleared her throat and grabbed his wrist to stop that fingertip caress.

            "It also _likes_ biting anyone who comes near me at the most inappropriate times," she arched an eyebrow at the cajoling note that crept into his voice, biting the inside of her cheek to hold in an errant laugh when it reminded her of Shippou's attempts to get out of trouble.  "That's more than a little awkward, you know, especially when we're trying to have a formal dinner at home."

            '_Takashima must sit next to her_,' Youko rubbed his chin thoughtfully before waving that off.  '_He'll get over it… and we might give the rose new instructions… eventually._'

            _You realize it's remarkably childish for you to taunt a kitsune who is likely half your age?_ Hiei automatically turned and frowned in the last direction they had seen Shippou thrown, even knowing the likelihood of him still being there was next to none.

            '_He'll live_.'

            _After that display of temper from the taiyoukai, I'm starting to have my doubts,_ he shook his head, mentally trying to nudge Kagome into punching Kurama again.

            _Traitor_, he growled when he could the brush of it against his own mind, setting his jaw but smirking when Kagome merely pinched the bridge of her nose and moved onto something new.

            _Can I help that I found it entertaining to see a girl put a bruise on that pretty face for once instead of make an ass out of herself for it? _he retorted loftily.  _Try to get her to throw you again, I want to commit that picture to memory_.

            _They're laughing enough at me, thank you_, he turned up his nose primly.  _Why don't you drag them back to the elevator so I can have some time alone with Kagome?_

_            And miss this? _Hiei arched an eyebrow.  _Not on your borrowed life, Fox.  I've waited too long to watch you get laid low by a female you couldn't dazzle into falling at your feet in a brainless puddle_.  _It's even more gratifying to know it's a human girl a fraction of your age from a shrine family._

            '_We _will _kill you eventually, Hiei_,' Youko ground out, his tone thick with annoyance at that remark, especially with the expectant look he was currently enduring as Kagome waited for an answer.  There was a certain sense of pride to be had in the ability to charm your way into anyone's heart if you so desired, and the frustration building inside them at having the miko they actually _wanted _to charm so completely being the only person in centuries to deny them was becoming something of a sore spot.

            "Well, there's no use staying down in the catacombs all day," Kagome huffed when she realized he wasn't intending to do anything about the rose, taking advantage of his apparent preoccupation to slip out of his grasp again while her eyes swept the circular room for anything they might have missed before she gestured with the shakujou.  "Come on.  I'll take you back up so you don't get lost and die in Sesshoumaru's fog."

            Kurama caught her hand again when she would have walked past him, bringing her to a stop and offering her his most charming smile when she threw a questioning look over her shoulder, "I would like to walk with you like this."

            Shinju snickered when he saw her uncertainty, brushing past and whispering in her ear, "Sucker."

            Kagome eyes narrowed darkly, muttering a curse under her breath as she flicked her wrist to sweep his legs out from under him with her staff and planted a foot on his chest in a single motion to grit out, "Don't make me kick your ass in front of all these people, Shinju-chan, hn?  I know you'd rather avoid that public humiliation."

            "Yes, ma'am."

            She stopped again, a look of resignation crossing her face when she felt Kurama's fingers thread through her own tenaciously and squeeze, _Well dammit._  Her shoulders slumped as she lifted their joined hands and shook them once to try and dislodge him, sighing when he held that innocent expression but still refused to let go, "You're a persistent kitsune."

            "Thank you," Kurama dipped his head, that smile taking on a decidedly satisfied tone at her capitulation.  

_So much for avoiding him until I could get these stupid dreams under control… and dammit, if he gives me that smile one more time, I'm going to kill him.  Or maybe- no.  Fucking hells, no, and I need to stop thinking about it_, she tried to banish those fantasies to the back of her mind, setting her jaw and stepping off Shinju with one more warning grind of her heel.

            Hiei's thoughts were filled with wicked amusement when she finally gave up on extricating herself from Kurama's hold and motioned for them to follow, muttering under her breath as she past them, _I think she said something like 'stupid hair, stupid body._'

            Youko perked up, '_Ha!  I _knew_ she wasn't unaffected!  The way she couldn't keep her hands off us in our dream-_'

            _She thought we were someone else, Youko_, Kurama reminded him.  _It doesn't completely count_.

            '_She knew we weren't who she thought we were before we really started to touch her seriously,_' Youko defended his excitement.  '_I'm telling you, her body is hungry for us, and now she's going to be receptive since she heard us say she's more important to us than Sesshoumaru's knowledge.  I know what I'm doing_.'

            Kurama blew out a sigh, mindlessly taking comfort in tracing little circles on the back of Kagome's hand, delighting in the feel of her skin warming against his as Youko started running over a multitude of plots all while trying his damnedest to ignore Yuusuke's scowl boring into his back.  _He is not going to let this go_, he lengthened his stride just enough to brush against Kagome when he walked, closing his eyes and trying to locate the faint scent he'd been able to find in their dream.

            '_So?  It wasn't his choice_,' Youko shrugged, particularly unconcerned.  '_He'll blow up later and we'll calm him down.  Stop fussing and enjoy that our lover is letting us stay close and holding our hand without arguing._'

            _She's distracted_, Hiei couldn't resist pointing out.

            '_Must you speak?_'

            _I'm afraid I must_, he deadpanned with remarkable aplomb as Youko hissed out a few more choice threats.

            '_Honestly, Hiei, you have absolutely no respect whatsoever for ambiance,_' Youko accused him darkly, unobtrusively tilting their head and breathing in when he finally managed to catch that muted thread of essence.  Closing his eyes, he pushed down the urge to draw it into himself in a more intimate fashion out of respect for their mixed surroundings, instead making sure their hands were more securely joined and using them to brush his knuckles across her thigh with every step, '_No wonder you have a hard time keeping lovers_.'

            _You call strolling through poison mist in the catacombs of a hidden youkai society "ambiance?" _Hiei nearly choked on his disbelief.

            Kurama slanted him a look over his shoulder, green eyes flashing gold as Youko grinned arrogantly, '_A true kitsune is not hindered by such things_.'

            Hiei shook his head, sending the preening kitsune a glare with his retort, _And a true fool just doesn't care_.


	27. First Chance at a Second Impression

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: GYAH!  -falls over and watches soul leave her body- I can't believe it… the harder I try to keep them on track, the more they fight me to do their own thing.  They're running away with the plot, and I can't do anything but type out what the characters are whispering to my poor abused head. –siiiiiigh-  Kazusa's going to kill me… but I have to give double thanks to Sylvannstar and Bluenote for listening to me gripe and moan about my concerns.

To my beloved junkies and reviewers, I simply adore you.  –bows and blows kisses- and yes, I love to hear the rants and rambles telling me what you like and what you think about the story.  Be patient, it will all clear up in time, but I promise we're starting to get into the guts of the thing.  You're wonderful and fabulous, and I know you'd rather be reading, so have at it. 

By Any Other Name 

First Chance at a Second Impression

            Shinju lifted a hand to hide his laugh when Kurama practically dragged Kagome out of the enchanted lift, closely followed by his three companions as they glared at it with suspicious revulsion, "Aren't you four a little too experienced to be wary of inanimate objects?"

            _That _thing_ is not inanimate_, Hiei shot the human boy a glare that –to his supreme irritation- only earned him one of the peaceful smiles he was beginning to hate.  There was just no way in any of the layers of hells that one person could be that calm and unruffled by everything around them, it wasn't natural, especially in a human.

            "Fucking thing tried to _eat_ us!" Yuusuke shouted at him so forcefully, they half expected to see Shinju's hair flutter back like some sort of comic, but that smile stayed completely unchanged on his face.  "You think that's funny?!"

            "My apologies for neglecting to seal the floor of our compartment, I was distracted with other things," he lifted one hand in a blessing pose that looked grossly out of place with the ancient taijiya garments and the massive boomerang strapped to his back.  "However, you are unharmed, are you not?"

            '_That shade of red looks quite unhealthy on human skin,_' Youko commented thoughtfully when the muscle spasmed in Yuusuke's jaw from how hard he was clenching it, obviously trying without much success to retrain his formidable temper at the distinct edge of taunting to that question.

            "I don't think I'm ever going to get the feel of that creepy shit off," Kurabara was bemoaning his state with a rather sour expression, leaning back against the wall and scrubbing at his leg through his pants to illustrate his comment.  "What the hell was it?!"

            "Primordial ooze," Shinju schooled his expression into perfect stoicism, lacing his fingers together and lowering them as though centering himself as his eyes closed in feigned respect.  "Ow!" he winced, automatically lifting his foot when Kagome stepped on his toes hard in reprimand.

            "Enough, Shinju," she rolled her eyes, starting to raise her hand to rake through her hair in nervous habit when the weight and resistance reminded her of the kitsune who had yet to give up the appendage.  She gave him a half-hearted glare, fully anticipating that flash of his "harmless," charismatic smile before sighing and doing her best to ignore him when she answered Yuusuke, "It's a simple defense, like a youkai version of a flytrap, but it _should_ have been dormant."

            "As in not turning the floor into jelly and crawling up our legs," his eyebrow twitched as he shot another scowl filled with menace at the smiling boy.

            "Something like that," she nodded and bit her lip to hide a giggle at the curses spilling out of his mouth.  _Something about this… it almost feels like a homecoming.  No matter how much I try and tell myself Sesshoumaru's right about them.  That they could hurt us, or cause us too much trouble…  They… they relax me somehow_.

            Kagome jolted a bit in surprise when her hand was released, only for Kurama to cup her face and turn it towards him, thumb tracing gently over her lower lip to free it from her teeth as those jewel-bright emerald eyes captured her gaze, "Where did you go, honey?"

            Confused, she blinked and tilted her head slightly to one side, not noticing the way his hand tightened on her chin when she realized Shinju was looking at her in concern while the others frowned in restrained curiosity, _Oh damn_.  "Did I miss something?" she tried to brush it off, finding her backwards retreat blocked by his free hand splaying restrictively across her lower back.

            "You zoned out and got white," Yuusuke explained when Kurama stayed silent, looking her over with a rapid sort of thorough precision that put her distinctly in mind of Sesshoumaru.  "You okay?"

            Kagome glanced over to Shinju for verification and caught his tight nod before she shook her head and tried to dispel their concern, "I'm just a little more tired than I thought, I guess.  Haven't been sleeping well lately," she turned a pointed look on Kurama at that remark, trying to switch the focus to his misconduct rather than her momentary lapse.

            '_We can have her sleeping like a kit in an hour,_' Youko drawled out, voice thick and eager with suggestion.  '_Maybe two… not too soon, but I suppose we can go easy on her the first time if she's still tired_.'

            _Two hours is going easy on her?_ Kurama took a deep breath, keeping his face and eyes clear of the thoughts Youko was cheerfully running through their head on the heels of that claim.

            The smile Youko impressed on him at the question was downright wicked, '_Never let it be said I'm not indulgent or understanding to my lovers.  I can make allowances for her body until she's built up the stamina to handle me_.'

            _Us, Youko, dammit stop forgetting I'm in here too just because you start getting a little excited_, Kurama grumbled in annoyance at the plotting kitsune.

            '_You have troubles staying on your feet once we get past a certain level of arousal,_' Youko turned his nose up primly.  '_Or have you forgotten that _I _have to take over to keep you from embarrassing yourself?  You're too shy_.'

            _I am not shy_, he gritted out, unconsciously stroking the hand on her back up and down in a slow, lazy circle as much to soothe himself on a basic level as it was to calm her tension.  _You're just unnatural to find so much enjoyment out of that kind of pain_.

            Youko sighed and shook his head, '_I can't believe you refuse to acknowledge the exquisite beauty of those sensations.  There are so many less appealing ways to be in pain, but you still_-'

            "Dammit, they're still alive?  What happened, Kagome-sama?" Kurama snapped out of his thoughts when that same voice from their last jaunt through the youkai filled room carried to his ears.  "Are you all right?  Did something happen?  Do you want us to kill them?"

            "I'm fine, Kouryuu-chan," she hurried to lift a hand and stop the dragon before he could really get going, smiling at the worried look on his handsome face as it turned into accusing scowls at the man holding her with such familiarity.  "Sesshoumaru-sama has granted them admittance to the Western Lands, at least temporarily, so you can't kill them yet."

            _She didn't speak his name so formally before… but Takashima does it the other way, I wonder why_? Hiei pointed out, frowning as he regarded the way the youkai all seemed to be growing anxious, shifting their weight and muscles held taut as their eyes continuous darted over the four of them.  Only to rest the longest and with the heaviest emotions on Kurama, more specifically, where his hands prevented Kagome from moving away from him, _Fox_-

            _I feel them_, Kurama cut him off softly, still refusing to give up his hold and even giving her a tug that had her stumbling back against his chest with a faint squeak of surprise.

            Kouryuu had shot forward the instant she stumbled, grabbing onto her arm with a flash of panic in his eyes that turned immediately to embarrassment after a pregnant moment of frozen silence with Kagome resting wide-eyed against the kitsune's chest and the latter regarding him with narrowed warning, "A-ah… I'm sorry, Kagome-sama.  It's just-!"

            _What the hell?_ Hiei scowled, twisted around and taking in the expressions surrounding them.  _They're afraid?  What did you do?_

            '_That was more than afraid,_' Youko corrected with a mental shake of his head.  '_That was like he thought we were going to tear out her heart and start eating it in front of him.  He was plain fucking terrified_.'

            _Of what though?_ Kurama's brow furrowed, uncomfortable with the uncertainty of their surroundings and instinctively tucking Kagome closer to him in a gesture that was equally protective and possessive.  _What could have them so on edge in their own den?_

            '_It's all of us, you idiots_,' Youko rolled his eyes, making Kurama's fingers tingle as he exerted his control to find the slits running the sides of her kimono and just barely grazing their fingertips over her skin.  '_But mostly _us, _if you care to be technical.  They're looking at us and the way we're holding Kagome, Kurama, don't be dense.  They don't like it._'

            _That's putting it ridiculously mildly_, Hiei snorted, unable to push down his own anxiety at the battle-ready auras he couldn't feel, but could definitely see on the faces surrounding them the longer Kagome's shoulder rested against Kurama's chest.  _If she twitched the wrong way, I think they would try to kill us to the last one_.  _But why?  She's a miko and these are all youkai_-

            Kagome's soft laugh cut through the sudden tension, her eyes bright as she reached out and patted the youkai on the head comfortingly, "I'm not _that_ tired, didn't Sesshoumaru-sama stop and tell you some of what happened?  Or make Shippou do it at least?"

            Kouryuu shook his head rapidly, eyes continuously darting to Kurama's face and away as though still uncertain as to whether he should be relaxing around this person, but wanting to speak with her, "We barely had time open the door for him.  He was… very angry, and Shippou… didn't look very approachable either."

            "Is anyone dead?" Kagome frowned, pushing herself back up away from Kurama and giving him a distracted pat when he tried to tighten his hold to keep her where she was.  If he hadn't been so curious about the discussion, or distracted by watching for any impending attacks from the tense youkai around them, he might have bent her over the nearest horizontal surface and kissed her senseless, just to show he wouldn't accept any patronizing consoling touches of that sort…

            '_I'm holding onto that fantasy for later_.'

            _You do that_.

            "Not yet," the dragon turned his own narrowed scarlet eyes on the strangers, lip curling up in disgust as he relaxed enough to whine to her again.  "C'mon, Kagome-sama, they're supposed to be dead by now!  Let us eat them a little?  Please?"

            Shinju was back to snickering behind his hand at the disbelief on Kagome's face, almost turning into something much louder when she managed to twist around to face the dragon.  She'd pressed her hands on her hips while Kurama simply modified his hold with an arm snugly wrapped around her waist to pull her back against him, the other crossing her chest to curl over her shoulder and effectively cage her in while she spoke as though nothing out of the ordinary was occurring, "Kurama has cut a deal with Sesshoumaru-sama, Ryuu-chan, and you're still trying to eat them?"

            "A… deal?" the youkai frowned in open suspicion, glancing around him to the others to see all the attention was quite obviously turning to the young monk in demanding accusation.  "What kind of _deal?_"

            "One that means you aren't allowed to keep me away from Kagome," Kurama cut in with a deceptively calm voice, meeting the startled eyes of this Kouryuu over her shoulder as he dipped his chin to rest on it.  "Ever," he felt Youko smile through him, scraping his lip on the point of a fang as his eyes flashed in mocking challenge before he pulled him back under control.

            Kagome sighed, closing her eyes as she lifted her hand up and covered his face with her palm to give him a shove backwards irritably, "You're just as bad as Sesshoumaru-sama-" her expression turned almost comically shocked when his tongue snaked wetly across her palm.  "Kurama!  _You-!_"

            "They have agreed to ask no questions of our origins," Shinju interrupted when he saw the color flood into her cheeks, reaching out to grasp her wrist and giving it a tug to convince her to let go of the kitsune's hair when he noticed a familiar gleam lighting those emerald eyes.  "Sesshoumaru-sama has ordered every one of us who knows anything of the past and the stories of the Shikon-no-Tama to say nothing.  In exchange for allowing Youko Kurama to present himself to Kagome-sama."

            '_Spoilsport… she was just begging to get kissed until he ruined the moment,_' Youko pouted while still keeping careful watch on the stunned faces around them now that the monk had so casually made that announcement.

            _You _licked_ her_, Kurama was trapped somewhere between awe and mortification, not entirely certain how exactly he should react to that little stunt, but unable to deny he'd been any less enchanted by the way her eyes had flashed with what he would swear was blue fire while that lovely pink color splashed across her face.

            '_Couldn't resist_.'

            _You didn't even try,_ he felt his eyebrow try to twitch and drew in a calming breath to stop it, slanting his eyes to Kagome's profile to help settle his agitation, softening with a sort of pride at the fact that she was no longer trying to move away from his arms.

            '_Why should I?  She put it up there,_' Youko would have been pointing were he not too busy trying to show that he was bored by the censure he had decided was pointless and undeserved.  '_You liked how she tasted too.  Hurry up and get us out of here, we still need to get her in private and see how long it takes until we can be lick_-'

            _Not here!_ Kurama cut him off rapidly before the overzealous kitsune could imagine them into an incredibly uncomfortable situation.  _Goddammit, Youko, you can't _do_ that in public!_

            '_Pansy little born-again virgin_.'

            _I stopped falling for that in middle school, you impossible fucker_, Kurama ground his teeth together hard.

            _Ahhh, so _that's _how he did it_, Hiei made a sound of discovery that held more than a little promise threaded into it to assure Kurama it was a piece of information he planned to tuck away until it could be most effectively used to make his life hell.  _You never did answer me whenever I asked_.

            _I hope you choke on your own tongue and die naked on the floor of Kurabara's bedroom_, Kurama's lip curled up for just a moment in a snarl before he settled his expression back to something more neutral for the human boy's sudden, searching look.

            "Pre…present?" Kouryuu's eyes had gone almost completely round, his mouth falling open as realization deepened that scarlet to almost black as he gasped that out and ended what was prime to turn into a knockdown-drag-out insult battle after that little gem.  "As in… 'present' as in offering for her?  That kind of presenting?"

            Youko snickered in delight at the murmuring that started around them, forgetting all about his thoughts of animosity, '_Oh they're not happy hearing that at all_.'

            _Sadistic bastard_, Hiei folded his arms over his chest, grateful that Yuusuke and Kurabara were intelligent enough to recognize the potential danger of their current situation and staying relatively quiet.  _You would be relaxed to find out that you're causing pain and anguish in your pursuits_.

            '_They deserve it, Hiei, for trying to hide her away from me-us_,' he added on when he felt Kurama start to correct him.  '_They're going to get used to seeing her with me, whether they like it or not._'

            Shinju sighed and nodded, reaching back to absently brush his fingertips over the Hiraikotsu when he noted the kitsune's hand had inched up a little higher than it should have on her ribs, "Kurama has voiced his intentions to become Kagome-sama's lover to Sesshoumaru-sama."

            _They really have their moments where they don't mince words, don't they?_ Kurama wanted to wince at the blunt statement, but refrained when he felt more than one set of furious eyes snap back to him.

            '_It's a tell_,' Youko beat Hiei to speaking, not really interested in what the hybrid had to add to Kurama's observation just yet.  '_We'll have to be around him more to be certain, but if my instincts are not failing me, it's a sign that he feels frustrated or out of control_.'

            _Since you're too wrapped up in clinging to the miko to notice his eyes get dark every time your hands tighten_, Hiei still managed to get in his dig, inwardly smirking at the silent growl he received for that roundabout suggestion the kitsune was being unobservant.  _He doesn't like you holding her so close to you_.

            '_That's just too damn bad, now isn't it?_' Youko snorted, not in the least bit impressed or put off.  '_They're all delusional if they think their disapproval is going to push me away._'

            Kurama sighed, rubbing his cheek up against hers and smiling faintly when he felt the shiver run through her body, not even the elbow she brought back into his stomach dampening his pleasure, _They'll see soon enough_.

            _That fighting you only makes your obsession that much stronger?_ Hiei quirked an eyebrow, glancing aside when he caught a flash of light off metal and settling down when he identified it as a simple chair rather than a weapon.  _Being that you _are_ a demented kitsune and all_-

            _We are not demented_, Kurama protested.

            '_And you'll know it if we're actually obsessed with something,_' Youko turned his nose up arrogantly.

            _Oh?  What do you call this single-minded focus to get _this _girl then?_ Hiei inquired in a carefully bland tone.

            '_Perhaps a fixation… yes, that will do for now,_' he nodded to himself in satisfaction.  '_We are fixated._'

            This time Hiei did roll his eyes, _There are times, Fox, that I am in awe over the fact that you have lived as long as you have_.

            '_I'm going to pretend that was meant as a compliment, and that way I won't have to stop holding my lover just to teach you a lesson in respecting your elders, hybrid,_' Youko pivoted to turn Kagome just out of reach when the dragon tried to touch her again, leveling a warning scowl on the youkai to suggest he not try that again.

            Kouryuu's mouth had opened and closed several times, obviously trying to work himself up to saying something in regards to the information Shinju had just given out until there was a choked sound somewhere behind him.  Kurama's brows drew together in a frown, straightening to search out its source when the choke changed into a snort and a loud thump followed by those sounds degenerating into loud peals of laughter.

            Kagome let out a groan, lifting one hand to cover her eyes as another and another voice rose to join with that one, rubbing at her temples to ease the growing ache, "One of these days, I'm going to kill that girl."

            Kouryuu had already turned away from them, his expression nervous and hands up in a placating gesture as he darted over to peer over the edge of a desk to speak with whoever it was laughing on the floor, "Ah… Souten-chan…  I-I don't think you should be laughing right now…"

            "_So_ kitsune!" the aforementioned Souten choked out around her laughter to the increasing chagrin of the dragon hovering over her desk, trying unsuccessfully to settle her amusement.  "Oh gods!  It's so goddamn fucking kitsune that it's killing me!  No wonder Shippou was-!"

            Kagome cleared her thought distinctly, determined to ignore the color seeped more steadily into her cheeks as she tried to take a step towards the laughing youkai only to grind her teeth together when her 'attachment' still refused to let go, "You can stop now, Kurama."

            "I'm afraid I can't," he murmured gently in her ear, nuzzling her hair and smirking when he finally detected her faint scent.  "I've been waiting a very long time to have you so close to me that the very thought of letting go brings me pain."

            Souten sounded like she was choking on her renewed laughter, and even some of the other youkai were suddenly lifting their hands to hide growing smiles when Kagome looked up at the ceiling as though appealing to some higher being for help, "Sweet-talking me is not going to help you." _I hope… Gods, that would be embarrassing_.  _I am too old, and too experienced to fall for that kind of thing anymore, aren't I?_

            '_Liar,_' Youko made a clucking sound of disapproval.  '_All lovers like to be sweet-talked_, _especially girls_.'

            There was a short beat of silence in their head before Kurama managed, _If I try not to think too hard about that statement, I think I may be able to go on living peacefully another day_.

            '_Hiei doesn't count_,' Youko flicked a hand dismissively, ignoring his sputtering other half as he continued to turn his plans over in his head.  '_Not in the conventional sense, anyhow… you have to praise him about death and destruction and-_'

            Kagome simultaneously closed her hands over his wrists and squeezed, ducking and twisting out from under his arms before he could refocus enough to realize he'd been outmaneuvered in his uncharacteristic moment of inattention, "Now then-"

            Yuusuke's sudden laughter had her jolting in surprise, eyes wide and startled before changing to confusion that he made an effort to wave off, "You… Sesshoumaru said you had experience… with kitsune."

            If anything the frown deepened, especially when Shinju lifted a hand to hide his own suspicious snort, "Yes…  I've been taking care of kitsune since I was a kid.  Why?  What does that have to do with anything?"

            "He has never seen Kurama evaded," Hiei supplied for her in a subdued voice to hide his own amusement, willing to speak with this miko if only in trade for the long list of entertainments she was slowly racking up for him.  "Not to mention the ease you seemed to have in doing so."

            "Practice," Kagome brushed it off, uncomfortable with the praise and turning to see to Souten rather than admitting to that in mixed company.

            _I have decided to like this miko_.

            _I've decided not to hope for your death on Kurabara's floor,_ Kurama set his jaw and scowled at the hybrid darkly under the laughter making his claret eyes shine.  _Instead I will make sacrifices of every imaginable kind in the hopes that a bored god up there will take pity and chain you to his bed after a night of heavy drinking to let nature and hormones take their course while you lie helpless and trapped_.

            '_Preferably gagged_,' Youko added darkly.  '_With video equipment to capture your everlasting torture_.'

            _It's good to see you embracing your role as the depraved, hopeless pervert you are for once,_ Hiei grinned wickedly for a split second before it settled back to indifference.  _But really, if you find yourself so consumed with thoughts of that human boy, it's in poor taste to use me in an effort to get to him_.

            _Your head remains through our good graces alone at suggesting we would ever lower ourselves to someone of Kurabara's charisma,_ Kurama's spine went rigid with full blown kitsune arrogance, eyes dark with his displeasure.  _Or intelligence.  I am a highly selective lover_.

Hiei turned to face him, one corner of his lips kicking up and eyes shrewd as he drawled out, _Mean to say "we?"_

            Kurama's eyes flashed, widening in alarm even as Youko let out a low, dangerous chuckle, but said nothing.

            "I consider this karmic retribution for all the laughs I got dating Shippou!" Souten was declaring loudly, one finger visible over the desk where she had pointed it straight up in the air while Kagome and Kouryuu leaned around it to peer down at her.  "Finally someone else will feel my pain!"

            Kouryuu's shoulders slumped and he seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else when he murmured, "It finally pushed her over the edge."

            "Kitsune overload," Shinju nodded in commiseration.

            "If you're telling that damn story again, I'm going to make good on my threat and burn off your eyebrows, Shinju," Shippou's voice drew their eyes to the main doorway, human illusion back in place and looking considerably better since their last view of him despite the glazed, pupil-less eye that showed his sight had yet to recover from Sesshoumaru's poison.  He stuffed one hand down the pocket of his dark jeans, making a motion with his head as he growled out, "C'mon.  Big Dog wants 'em out and told me to make sure you ate lunch, Nee-san."

            "Oh yes… go to lunch with_ two_ of them, Kagome-sama," Souten's voice took on a taunting, rather evil note that would have done her brothers proud right before she dissolved back into gales of laughter that had Kouryuu wincing and giving the miko an apologetic look.

            Kagome was back to rubbing her head, muttering a few choice words under her breath that had the youkai closest to her smiling suddenly and chuckling as they reached out to offer comforting pats.  Sighing, she waved them away, but smiled to show her appreciation as she turned on her heel and stalked to the door, "You'd better have replaced those pants with something I can wear, Shippou."

            "You stole them from me, I just took them back," he patted his hips and grinned at her, but kept his eyes on the four men watching the exchange with interest.  "Besides, you can always wear the kimono."

            She grabbed his ear and yanked it down to whisper before sweeping out towards the locker rooms, "If it's a fuku, I'm killing you."

            "Heh," Shippou reached up to rub the back of his head as he watched her go before abruptly snapping his hand out against the doorjamb just in time to block Kurama's pursuit.  "She's changing.  She'll meet us outside, but you are _not_ following her into the lockers."

            Kurama scowled at him, giving that arm a pointed look before letting his stance deceptively relax, _I hate it when they're actually worth respecting_.

            '_Business and pleasure are forever separate, Kurama_,' Youko reminded him with a careless shrug.  '_And there are plenty of people we respect that we don't like_.  _We'll just add him to the list_… _Right up at the top with Hiei_.'

            _I told you that you held petty grudges, and what the hell is it about kitsune and making threats that involve losing hair?_ Hiei frowned as he demanded.

            Both Youko and Kurama blinked at him as though honestly confused about the question before they glanced at Shippou as though dying to include him in some private joke before Youko remarked, '_What could be worse than losing your hair?_'

            _Not to mention some kitsune store their ki in it_, Kurama expounded when he sensed the snide comment the hybrid was about to send their way.  _It's… instinctual.  Cutting off hair is grave insult, a blow to the pride_.  _It's the best way to shame and weaken a cowardly opponent_.

            Hiei blinked, disrupted from the remark about their shallowness at the deeper meaning Kurama implied and turning a thoughtful stare on Shippou's own illusion shortened hair, _I wonder if that's why he shortens it…?  Next time we fight I'll go for his hair and see._

            Youko snickered, '_Ah… young love_.'

            _Stuff it, Fox_.

            '_Time and place_,' he winked at Hiei just to see those unique eyes narrow in disgust.

            "So what are we're allowed to ask you?" Yuusuke interrupted their internal byplay, shouldering Kurama aside more forcefully than necessary to show the kitsune he was still pissed off over this turn of events before folding his arms to glare at the investigator.

            Shippou blinked, reaching up absently to rub his eye as he shrugged and turned with an absent gesture for them to follow, "Nothing about where we came from, or about anything that we know to be truth in those legends besides what you already know.  And before you ask, yes, we've read what Reikai has in regards to the Shikon-no-Tama, so we know if you've overstepped the bounds.  Big Dog said that if we tell you to drop it, you have to drop it or he'll put his foot down.  And trust me… you don't want to see that."

            Yuusuke's eyes followed his hand down to where it was gingerly pressed to his side, guessing that the gaping hole they'd seen before had yet to heal completely and wincing slightly in sympathy, "That kinda thing normal?"

            He glanced back, brows lifted and waiting for the door to slam shut behind them with a sense of finality before he answered, "Not so much anymore, but his training has always been on the extreme side.  Doesn't matter if you're on his side, youkai, hanyou, or human, he's fucking brutal."

            "Why can't we feel anything?!" Kurabara recovered enough at that slam to shout out that demand, ignoring the varying degrees of amusement and chagrin in the expressions around him as he advanced with one fist raised at the youkai in front of them.  "I saw it with my own eyes, but… but there's nothing!"

            Shippou tilted his head, not looking the least bit concerned by the threatening actions as he seemed to ponder for a moment and come to a decision, "I guess that's harmless enough."

            "What is?" Yuusuke's head whipped around, reflexively tensing at the suggestion they were about to get something new.

            "This," Shippou dug around in his shirt and pulled out the simple chin, holding it up to show them the chunk of a black stone caged in with finely woven silver.  "It's a piece of the Fuyouheki… a stone we discovered that completely conceals youki no matter how weak or how strong it is.  All of us have some of it, and we never take it off.  Easy as that."

            _Easy, he says_, Hiei bit back a growl.  _Those things were legends in themselves, and no one was _ever_ rumored to have found one.  Let alone one large enough to disperse amongst a group this size_.

            _It _is _an easy explanation though, _Kurama pointed out as Shippou turned his back on them, whistling tunelessly and walked back the way they had first entered.  _Barely feasible, but easy.  Who the hell are these youkai?!_

            '_They're youkai who grew up in times when legends were born, Kurama, just like us_,' Youko let out a self-deprecating laugh, senses open and alert as he let his eyes take in the building and the workers curiously staring at them from behind tinted windows and concealing corners.  '_We've been looking at this the wrong way_.'

            _What the hell are you babbling about now?_ Hiei demanded, dragging his feet as his instincts demanded he break away from this kit and explore the headquarters of Takeharuka more completely.

            '_Well, think about it,_' Youko lounged back in their head, folding his arms and giving off an air of importance.  '_We've been looking at all this from our perspective… seeing youkai running a modern human business and defending themselves against the intruders who could ruin their hard work._'

            _So_?

            '_This is a kingdom_,' Youko breathed out softly, motioning around expansively and grinning when Hiei stopped walking and stared at them like they'd lost their minds.  '_Don't look at me like that, hybrid, you know I'm right.  This… all this _humanity_ is the façade.  They aren't defending their place in this society, they're defending the Western Lands.  We're an invading army come to break apart the structure and scatter them about, or kill them in the process_.'

            Hiei shook his head grudgingly, _That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard… but I can see what you're talking about,_ he cut in before the kitsune could defend his words.  _I told you that I'll follow your lead for now, and if that's how you think this is playing, that's how we'll run it until you fuck it up_.

            _Where does Kagome fit in? _Kurama frowned, sweeping his senses out through the massive foyer in a futile effort to locate her trail as he mulled over Youko's working observation.

            '_Spoils of war,_' Youko's smile was razor-edged.  '_Our lover holds substantial placement in his family, and that makes her practically royalty, broken miko or not.  I win her, and he can't force us out.  It weakens his position._'

            _You're enjoying this_, Hiei shook his head, giving up on satisfying his need to search their surrounds for now, but promising himself that he would before they were done with this twisted mess.

            '_Absolutely!_' Youko chirped out in unrestrained glee.  '_This is the best kind of puzzle!  It's layered and ancient… purely youkai.  I never thought we'd be able to get ourselves in the middle of this again, and especially not for such an excellent reason._'

            _You call a lover an excellent reason? _Hiei turned a dry look on the faintly smiling kitsune.

            '_Desire is the purest reason there is,_' he ran his tongue over his teeth, pausing on a fang.  '_We want what he has control of: our lover.  We'll win in the end, but the game… the game is half the fun, Hiei.  I need that girl_.'

            _We need that girl_, Kurama echoed softly, closing his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath of the air when the glass doors parted to lead them back outside to the bustling streets of the city.

            Hiei came to a complete stop this time, his expression carefully schooled to hide the complete awe that struck his mind under the raw emotion that had filled that simple statement, _Kurama_-

            '_We want her to look at us… only us and burn inside_,' Youko wrapped his arms around their soul, eyes closed with Kurama as he rested his face alongside his other half and dropped his voice to a deep, seductive timbre.  '_It's growing inside us… every time we look at her eyes, feel her skin against ours, it's growing._'

            _We want to possess everything about her,_ Kurama whispered.

            '_We want to keep her for ourselves,_' Youko continued without missing a beat.  '_Everything she is, everything that makes her… until the end of time_.'

            Hiei swallowed, suddenly unsure of how to approach this situation as his eyes reflected his concern, _You're losing it, Fox.  You said yourself if was a fixation, you need to back off before this turns into something else_.

            _They're trying to steal her from me, Hiei_.

            '_Us_.'

            _Us, _he dipped his head to allow Youko's growled correction.  _I can't… I don't know how to explain it to you, but the more time passes, the more furious it makes me.  I… We need her to love us.  Only us.  We won't be satisfied until we have her soul in our hands_.

            Hiei was silent for a breath and finally cleared his throat to grit out in disapproval, _Kitsune love_-

            _I _am _a kitsune_, Kurama opened one eye, peering at him from the corner.  _Why should I deny what everything in me is telling me that I am?  When the intensity of this need and these feelings feel natural?_

            _Because they're going to get you killed_, Hiei pointed out gravely.  _We can walk away from this still, Kurama.  Call it instincts or whatever the fuck you want, but if we don't get out now, we aren't going to be able to.  _I _can feel that_.

            '_We aren't going anywhere_,' Youko answered calmly, wrapping his arms tighter around Kurama's soul and tucking it back against him.  '_We will have her, in every way_.  _Kagome is going to belong to us no matter what they do to try and take her away_.'

            Kurama felt a chill run down his spine, opening his eyes to see Shippou staring at him, eyes intense and unblinking as they cut deep into him, giving off every impression that on some level he understood what was going on silently between the two of them, "Problems, kit?"

            Shippou's eyes narrowed, one hand resting on his hip as he shook his head and turned to scowl off into the woods, "You have no idea what you're trying to get yourself involved with, so I don't expect much from you, but don't patronize me."

            Kurama was aware of his companions going still, their own instincts too highly developed after all they'd been through not to notice the chill that filled the air, "Oh?"

            Shippou turned an arch look at him over his shoulder, the stripes on his cheeks flashing in and out again as his lips curved up in a smile that was no more than a show of fangs, "I'm not as young as I look, remember?  And I'm a full blood, just like you.  No matter what stories you tell _them_, _I_ know what's going on."

            Youko's eyes narrowed, widening their stance to something more casually aggressive, suggesting they would be ready for anything he attempted to do, '_Ahhh… I was expecting this_.'

            _What the hell is he talking about?_ Hiei demanded tersely, hands curling into loose fists at the hum of rising youki curling up around his friend. 

            "Avatar," Shippou made the word sound like a curse before giving a short, humorless laugh and raking a hand through his hair, the smile on his face cold and threatening. 

            Kurama went still, folding his arms over his chest with slow precision and arching one eyebrow to challenge him to continue.

            "She told me about her dreams."

            Emerald eyes shifted instantly to gold and narrowed to dangerous slits.

            "She won't tell Sesshoumaru, because she knows he'd lock her up in the main house until you disappeared… and gods help me, she's attached to your fucking plant even if she doesn't want to be," his expression tightened with his impatience.  "But I know what you're trying to do."

            Kurama's own smile was tight, "I see."  _A main house…_

            _Kurama-_

            _This is entirely a kitsune matter, Hiei, don't interrupt_, he cut him off in clipped tones, attention never leaving the youkai in front of him.

            "Stay out of her head or I'll kill you," Shippou let the growl almost completely overtake his voice, eyes flashing deep red before he let them settle back to the more sedate blue.  "Your agreement was made with Sesshoumaru, but I'm warning you now, she was mine before she was his, and the same rules you have from him don't apply with me."

            '_Sonofabitch_.'

            Shippou stalked forward, not at all daunted at having to lean up slightly to whisper his next words barely an inch away from the older kitsune's face, "My sister and all our secrets will be protected, and I play by kitsune rules.  I won't let you break what she's fought so hard to become, what we've fought so long to protect."

            "You can't stop me from winning her," Kurama replied evenly, ignoring the gazes of the others burning into the back of his head.

            "And _that_ is why you can't have her," Shippou leaned back, flashing his fangs again with a mocking salute.

            "Enlighten me."

            He stuffed his hands down in his pockets, cocking his head to one side before he looked past Kurama to where he could see Kagome speaking with the men at the security booth, a smile softening his features unconsciously, "Because it's so much more than a game, Youko Kurama… It always has been.  And there are always youkai like you, but no matter how many come, or how hard they fight us, there is no room in our family for them."

            Shippou brushed past him without looking at him again, smirking when the others parted to clear his path to the doors where he waited patiently for Kagome to finish and join him outside.

            Kurama turned and stared after him, eyes shuttered and full of shadows until Yuusuke shifted his weight and murmured in a particularly subdued voice, "I… How did you know?"

            "Know?" confused at the question, he momentarily took his eyes off the kitsune to frown at Yuusuke's tense expression.

            He raked a hand through his hair, pausing with his fingers hopelessly tangled in the dark strands as he blew out a heavy breath and expounded, "I think… I think you were right.  Choosing her, I mean, over the legend.  Why else would they be so angry?"

            Kurama's eyes filled with understanding and he nodded, turning to watch Kagome smile at Shippou before he tugged her along towards the shopping district, "You forget, Yuusuke, and so does he.  This _is_ a game…"

            '_But now we're playing by our rules_,' Youko felt his soul warm, flexing his presence against the confines of their body as the foliage around them rippled and bowed towards him ever so slightly under that flash of power, responding to the call of his youki.

            "And I'm playing for keeps," his hair flashed silver for a split second in the afternoon sun before returning to the deep blood-red they had grown accustomed to as he pivoted on his heel and followed.


	28. Testing Still Waters

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: -giggles- Oh I'm horrible… but then again, I'm still trying to think of revenge against Sylvannastar for cursing me with Youko seated on my head for hours at a time and gnawing when it's not going his way. –wicked smirk- And as for asking me not to say "be patient," I guess I'm just going to head down the evil route and shrug.

A couple people have been confused about ages though… so just a quick note that while Sesshoumaru is obviously the top of the line by rather a bit, Youko _is_ close enough for him to take notice and to remember him.  Shippou's the younger one out of the kitsune, by about half, but he's still a little older than Hiei. 

As for Kouryuu and Souten, they're "real" characters from a filler episode up quite a bit along in the anime.  Souten is the little sister of Hiten and Manten and challenges Shippou to a duel for the family honor which actually turns out pretty humorous considering they 1: don't know Souten is a girl at first, 2: Kouryuu (her pet baby dragon) manages to distract the rest of the group with his tricks to keep them out of it, and 3: Shippou is locked in a cage while they engage in a battle of artwork.  Of course, Shippou is the victor because of his crayons, but after it's found out Souten is a girl, he gives them to her and tells her revenge isn't always best.  It's really very cute, especially since it ends with Souten dreamily sketching what she thinks Shippou will look like all grown up and doing the girly sighing.

Gack!  And I've so totally rambled… -winces and shakes head- You guys are amazing… up over 300 on FF.N and 200 on MM.O.  –falls over comically-  Mou… I never thought I'd have this kind of response to a silly little present.  LOL, but I adore every one of them, and all the readers gleaning some entertainment from it.  I really do hope you have as much fun reading as it's been to write.

By Any Other Name 

Testing Still Waters

            Kagome refused to admit it, but she was perversely grateful for Kurama's stubborn hold on her hand when they reached a restaurant with food Shippou deemed 'fit for consumption' and found herself staring down an aloof maître d' who obviously felt there was something improper about a young woman dining alone with five men. 

Yuusuke had taken pity on Kurabara, sending him off with the "mission" to go to Keiko and inform her of what they had discovered while they had waited for Shinju to change and join them.  Even adding discreetly in that he would appreciate having his boys looked after until he got home. 

They'd had more time and been further removed from the situation to be able to view the sudden shift into looking at Takeharuka and his company as youkai, and while Yuusuke wouldn't never say it out loud, he wanted to give the man time to come to grips with knowing the company he worked for ran deeper than he'd ever suspected.  He'd even stepped away from the group to put in a quick call to his wife and fill her in, asking her to keep him occupied before he returned to see the drama playing out at the reservation booth.

            Shippou and Shinju's glares had mildly unsettled the man, but when Kurama stepped in and  "subtly" cleared his throat, lifting their joined hands enough to draw his eyes, he'd practically started tripping over himself to make apologies for insulting what he then assumed to be a man bringing his girlfriend along on at outing with his friends.

            A man so elegant that he fairly reeked of the substantial funds their establishment sought to cater to exclusively.

            For a split second there was even a momentary truce between Shippou and Kurama, kindred spirits sharing in a particularly amusing scenario made even better when Shippou decided to drive another nail in the man's coffin. 

The kitsune waited until they had been led to private table in the garden courtyard, sitting down with such grace that Kagome had to turn her head to hide a giggle and flicking out the wine menu in a move of practiced boredom before slanting a piercing stare up at the nervous man and raising his voice, "Takeharuka-sama wanted me to be certain you charged our bill to his account as he was unable to free his schedule and take his favorite niece out for lunch."

            When the man's face drained of all color, Shippou closed his eyes and reached into his jacket pocket to flick out a folded piece of paper held in his middle and ring fingers, "If there are any difficulties, he invites you to call this number and receive his verification personally."

            And for the absolute horror and mortification on the man's face, as well as the raised whispers that began around them, Kurama was even going to be polite and let the bastard buy their lunch.

            Shinju chuckled, propping his elbows up on the table and leaning forward to waggle his eyebrows at Kagome as he mocked, "Yes, a single delicate flower of a girl forced to share her meal with such inappropriate company-"

            "You could be wearing this water," Kagome arched an eyebrow, tilting her fingers in a quick motion to make the ice clack against itself and the glass for emphasis.

            He sat back with that unruffled expression that was starting to drive their more volatile lunch guests insane, transitioning into a face one would actually expect to see on a peaceful monk and lifting one hand in a prayer pose, "I am but a humble servant of Buddha-"

            "You grope anyone in this restaurant and I'll have Shippou give you that crash course in anatomy personally instead of by proxy," Kagome cut him off before he could continue his trademark distraction, her eyes sweeping the layout of their surroundings as she broadened her search to find any girls her son might be attracted to enough to cause an awkward scene.

            '_Grope?_' Youko's mind blanked at that, trying to figure out if it was really what it sounded like to him.

            "Yeah, bouzu, we like this one," Shippou was for all intents and purposes ignoring the three men sitting around the circular table, leaning back in his chair as he continued to mull over the menus fanned out in his hand like cards.  "If you get tossed, I'm denying association."

            "Please!  I am-!"

            Shippou had slanted him a look, flicking the edge of the menu around as though it was a sword held to the boy's throat and sighing, "A total pervert."

            "This coming from the one who has no qualms in forcing Kagome-sama to wear those pants?" Shinju dropped the pious expression for one devious enough to make Youko snicker in appreciation despite their uncertainty over the unorthodox topic.  "In public?"

            Finding herself the source of attention again, Kagome closed her eyes and propped her elbows up on the table to make a cradle for her forehead, "Leave me out of this."

            _I'm confused_, Kurama blinked as he tried to shake off the odd tennis-match feeling of the conversation, their heads turning back and forth to follow each speaker with a sort of fascination at the complete oddity of the banter.  _Are they…?  I thought he was a monk?  They're talking about groping?  As in physically grabbing someone?_

            Hiei suddenly made a disgusted snort in their head, catching his eyes when he folded his arms over his chest, _A hand problem.  Remember?  That idiot said something about Shinju being said to have a 'hand problem._'

            _Groping is a hand problem?_ Kurama arched an eyebrow, lips twitching in amusement at the tactful description.

            '_It would be if you were supposed to be a monk_,' Youko chuckled and pushed at him impatiently.  '_Now hush… they're talking about our lover and I want to hear it.  What about her pants?  What's wrong with them?_'

            "I wasn't going to throw them away just because they got cut up a little, and I washed off all the blood," Shippou defended.  "Besides, it's a warm day, and Kagome needs a breeze."

            Hiei blinked, eyes dropping down to really look at her attire in suspicion and widening when he found the diagonal slice across the leg of her pants amongst the other, smaller tears much too precise to be anything but perfectly razor-edged in nature.  He wasn't sure whether to laugh at the audacity or merely stare in disbelief, settling for shaking his head and sending a dry glare at the preening kitsune across from him, _That little freak dressed her in the pants we cut up on him last week, the day she came to the house_.

            '_No shit, the same ones?_' Youko perked up, taking a closer look at Kagome's legs and grinning broadly when he too saw the fine slices running through the dark material to give a peek at the skin underneath when she moved.  He knew from his connection already that those lines from her thighs down to her calves were all his, biting his lip in amusement when he noted with a broader slice that Hiei claimed to made in his fight with Shippou, '_Now that's sexy… they look much better on her than they did on him._'

            A throat clearing brought his eyes back up to those inhumanly blue eyes, a faint sparkle of some emotion he could have sworn was almost nostalgic making them something closer to indigo before it changed to dry amusement, and her eyebrow quirked up, "You have legs, hentai, you don't have to stare at mine as if you've never seen any before."

            '_Oh I like her.  Such a smart mouth on that cute little face just makes me want to-_'

            _Down, Youko_, _we're having a calm lunch with a crowd of people, only two of which are on our side and even then we can't be certain in this situation given how amused they have become at our expense_, Kurama chided, covering the internal dialogue with a warm smile to the chuckling girl he'd managed to sneak a seat beside, reaching for his own water as an anxious server approached Shippou.

            '_How far do you think we could get our hand up that slit?_' Youko waited until Kurama had started to take a drink, his voice a veritable study in innocence.

            Kurama promptly choked, setting down the glass and hunching his shoulders as he leaned forward and tried to clear his airway, managing to pat Kagome's hand in reassurance when it came to rest on his thigh in an automatic showing of concern, "Wrong way."

            '_That's a matter of opinion,_' Youko shifted their leg, purring in satisfaction when he brushed her fingertips along the inside of his thigh.  Low enough still to seem accidental and guileless, but sending a streak of heat through their stomach at the same time, '_I did that just right_.'

            _You're trying to kill me!_ Kurama seethed at him, trying not to jump at that unexpected sensation and instinctively closing his legs in a move that coincidentally trapped her hand between them.  _Ah-_!

            '_Well, well!_' Youko puffed up in delighted approval, his voice thick with laughter as he teased.  '_And here I thought _I_ was the one rushing things along_.  _Do that again!_'

            Kagome pulled her hand away with a startled look, a splash of pink spreading across her cheeks as she made an abortive attempt to speak before finally ducking her eyes and offering a strained, "Sorry!"  _Oh gods, I just felt him up…  Dammit, I can't even blame it on him either, I put my hand there first!_

Youko burst into delighted, victorious laughter in their head, his pride swelling at her discomfiture even more with the apology, '_How cute!  She's even taking responsibility for it!_'

            "I'm ordering for you, Nee-san, and you'd better eat," Shippou cut in smoothly before the situation could degenerate any further, especially when he noticed the look in Kurama's eyes.  He smirked at the grateful look she shot him, giving her a wink as he passed off his menu and heard Shinju ordering beside him, "Big Dog doesn't want you knocking off during lessons for getting distracted and forgetting."

            "Lessons?" Yuusuke cocked his head to one side, randomly pointing to something foreign that sounded like it was mostly meat when the irritating little man poked around to his side.

            "Kagome-sama is an instructor in the family temple and helps within the dojo," Shinju responded with affectionate respect.  "With her return, Takeharuka-sama believes it would be best to return her to that position when she is not with him."

            "Translating into he thinks I'll get into less trouble if I'm working when he can't be supervising everything I'm doing," Kagome explained with a sigh, leaning back and idly watching a new couple enter the restaurant, sizing them up habitually before dismissing them as harmless.  "Especially if he starts sending me the kids."

            Kurama visibly perked, turning sideways in his chair and leaning forward to eagerly dig for more information on such an important issue, "Why would he send you children?"

            "She has more patience for them than Shinju does," Shippou jerked his thumb at the monk offering them a rueful smile, his hand up behind his head in a gesture of nervous chagrin to be put on the spot in such a way.  "Besides, the kids like learning from her."  _Considering they practically fucking hero worship "the miko_"_ they all heard stories about growing up,_ _they've been so excited to start basics with her_.

            "Youkai kids?" Yuusuke's voice dropped, brows lowering in what could only be called speculation as he drew Kagome's confused gaze.  His mind had been scrabbling for some time now to find something else to latch onto rather than the confusing tangle of intrigue that Kurama seemed to be reveling in.  And the instant those words had left the kitsune's mouth he had a flash of inspiration, hearing two voice whining and asking questions that overlapped a warm, slightly scolding warning that had stuck with him late into more than one night.

            Kagome's own eyes flashed in understanding and she twisted to share a look with Shippou and Shinju, waiting until something seemed to pass silently between the three of them before she sighed and turned back to Yuusuke, "I'll ask."

            He blinked and started shaking his head, muttering a few choice words under his breath, "That's damn creepy, you know that right?"

            "What is?" Kagome and Shippou asked in unison, completely unaware of the way their expressions mirrored each other's right down to the timing and way they tilted their heads.

            Kurama felt his eyes narrow as Youko suddenly turned serious and speculative, '_Now _that's_ interesting…_'

            "Like you know what we're gonna say just by looking at us," he sat back and folded his arms over his chest, straightening his spine to give them each a suspicious frown.  "Either of you do the head tricks?  Sneaking into minds?"

            _What's wrong?_ Hiei divided his attention between Yuusuke's questions and Kurama carefully, both promising to provide interesting results.

            Youko shook his head, '_Probably nothing… it's just not feasible, but one of the ways you can tell family ties amongst kitsune is a similarity in subconscious mannerism.  It's an instinct for the younger ones to copycat their elders for practice when they're starting to get a feel for their illusions.  But practicing it often enough-_' he trailed off meaningfully.

            _Usually encourages them to pick up a piece here and there themselves,_ Kurama finished, recalling the hours Youko would spend in front of mirrors when this body was a baby, quirking his head this way and that.  Moreso when they grew older and gained the proper mobility, re-teaching their body his own signature mannerisms until he was satisfied Kurama could mimic them fully if necessary and echo a great part of them naturally, _But there's a slight… off note to it in the one who learned it, and Shippou's the one giving that off_.

            _But he's not young enough to have learned from this miko as a kit_, Hiei finished the simple truth that made that action more confusing.

            '_He'd probably still be a little puffball if he were,_' Youko tried to picture the annoying kitsune as a kit and failed, shrugging it off as unimportant for the moment.  '_Like I said… it's probably just a coincidence_.  _The young monk does the same thing_, _just not with the same precision Takashima does_.'

            _He _is_ old enough that he could have taught them to Shinju when he was a child, but the monk's blood-related to Kagome, so it stands to be more accurate that it's from that instead of the kitsune,_ Kurama's brow furrowed slightly at the confusion loop these observations were trying to make in his head.

            _Ch… you said forests pride themselves on flawless illusions_, Hiei pointed out, looking off to inspect the other diners and ignore the server trying to get an order out of him rather than look at his friend as he offered his version of reassurance.  _He likely began this copycat behavior the moment he decided to keep the family_.

            Kurama held his breath for a moment, silently conferring with Youko before they both shrugged and allowed that explanation with a soft, _You're probably correct, Hiei_.

            Kagome's soft laughter effectively drew him out of his troubled musings, flicking the fingers of her hand in an absent gesture that Youko followed almost hypnotically, "I've had _years_ of practice, Urameshi-san.  Se- ah… Takeharuka-sama isn't much of a talker unless he feels it's necessary, and I got used to interpreting what was just below the surface."  She propped her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers together to make a cradle for her chin as she sent him a mischievous smile, "Comes in handy in 'mixed' company."

            '_I could stare at those eyes_,' Youko purred out, trailing off to leave the impression he intended to add to that statement, but decided against it as he let his hungry gaze traced down to her lips.  '_How did a human get such a feature?_' he grumbled instead, shaking his head and reaching their hand out to skim his palm down that glossy length light enough not to draw attention while he marveled at the feel.

            _It's hair, Kurama_, Hiei gave him a sardonic look.

            '_Texture, Hiei!  It's all about texture!_' Youko scolded loudly, irritation coming off him in waves for what he perceived as the hybrid being deliberately obtuse.  '_I know you don't have the refinement to feel what we can, but even you know there's a certain difference to human hair_.'

            _Your point_?

            '_She doesn't have it_.'

            "Just Yuusuke," their leader was saying, looking a bit uncomfortable as he folded both arms behind his head and leaned back without once thinking of how that action would appear in their surroundings.  "I told you I ain't big on formality… but you'll think about it?"

            "If you trust me with them, then yes, I'll speak with Takeharuka-sama and see if we can't set up a schedule to introduce them to the others," Kagome nodded, glancing over at Shinju and waiting for his agreement.  "If you or your wife would like to bring them to observe and see if they're interested, I'm sure we can pull a few strings and start them sooner."

            Kurama blinked in confusion at the interaction when his thoughts returned to the present at her voice, _I missed something_.

            _You were too busy staring at the miko with lustful intentions, so yes, yes you did,_ Hiei smirked, twisting slightly to put a "push" on that obnoxious server to bring out their order quickly to save himself from being trapped in such human company for longer than necessary.

            '_And-?_' Youko prodded impatiently.

            _And what_?

            '_I will not be held responsible for my actions if you do not answer me this instant_.'

            _You like to forget that you cannot threaten me with your behavior the way you can threaten yourself_.

            Kurama didn't have a chance to restrain him before Youko had made a sound that drew Shippou's inquiring, wary gaze up to him over Kagome's head, "Shippou, is it?  Since my friend is too shy to say so himself, he asked me to tell you that you- ouch."

            Hiei had retrieved the chopsticks in front of him, jabbing them hard against Kurama's unprotected side to cut him off before he could say something he was certain to make him regret, "Kurama is curious about your admittance of Yuusuke's children into your classes with the other youkai of their apparent age."

            '_Now that wasn't so hard, was it?_' Youko preened, reaching out and tucking her hair back behind her ear in a subtle caress.

            _Your road to failure cannot possibly be painful or embarrassing enough to satisfy me_, Hiei shot back without letting his expression slip.

            Kagome shrugged, sliding back away from Kurama and self-consciously reaching up to trace where his fingers had been with her own, covering the warmth rushing through her at that unexpectedly gentle touch by answering rapidly, "Ah… well, the last time I was still under orders not to let you know about the family.  Now that it's all pretty obvious, Yuusuke can bring his kids to the right people."

            Shippou nodded, sliding his arm around Kagome's shoulders and drawing her back with a warning gleam in his eyes as he scowled at the other kitsune, but smoothing it over with a "helpful" addition to the explanation, "Big Dog will probably insist that you start seeing the family physicians actually, and he'll find out if there are any open tests on your blood so he can bury them."

            "The doctors?" Yuusuke tried not to sound too hopeful, recalling just how much he'd wanted to do that over the years since the birth of his sons.

            Shippou snickered and shook his head no, "The tests.  Can't have people finding out youkai are still alive and thriving, you know?  There are still sects that believe in us, but think we're a great, mindless evil plotting world domination, or some such bullshit.  We deal with them from time to time… hard to make them go away without killing them, but we do our best."

            "My cousins and I usually take care of it, since we're human and less likely to forget our strength," Shinju offered them an easy smile, absently running his fingers through his hair.  "And it helps enforce to the new ones that they're only fighting humans.  It's best if we can shake their belief and make them return to peaceful lives rather than waste time hunting for misguided reasons."

            Hiei's curiosity rose at hearing that, shifting his weight so see if that would be enough to draw the monk's attention and inwardly smiling when he succeeded, "How are you able to do this without alerting Reikai?"

            "No offense, but we aren't exactly sure what you guys do except for holding the major barriers," Shippou was the one who answered with a shrug.  "The only time we've ever seen anyone with that weird hum Sesshoumaru says comes from an upper level, it was fighting some youkai running around, not humans.  So we just kinda figured they didn't care about it."

            The hybrid's eyes narrowed shrewdly, "There have been occasions… when we were tracking youkai that had escaped Makai when they have completely disappeared."

            Shippou's smile took on an arrogant edge and he winked, "Too slow."

            Responding to that challenge was suspended when their food arrived, Kagome stopping the server before he could leave and pulling him down to murmur something in his ear just below the pitch of youkai hearing.  Kurama could feel the muscle in his jaw flex at her proof of that particular skill, forcing himself not to do something stupid… like using something blunt impale that obnoxious human blushing at being in such close contact with his lover.  His eyes trailed across the table to the ladle handle sticking up out of the closed pot on the warmer in front of him, eyes dancing with speculation.

            _That could be messy, and highly inappropriate to the surroundings_, Hiei inserted into his thought in definite amusement, making his grind his teeth together against the urge to kick him under the table.

            '_We are allowed our fantasies of violence in the _privacy_ of our own head, Hiei,_' Youko stressed the word with a growl, but relaxed when the server scurried away to perform whatever task the miko had imparted on him.

            _Hn_.

            _I have every right to keep other men away from her, _Kurama turned up his nose just enough to display his disdain as he reached for the small bowl containing his miso soup, parting his legs enough for his knee to press against Kagome's thigh under the table.  _Sesshoumaru's permission to offer for her is enough for that_.

            Hiei rolled his eyes under the safety of the inattention brought on by the others eating, toying with the urge to kick Yuusuke to shut him up when he started praising the younger kitsune's choice, _You are acting as though you have already been promised her company exclusively_.

            '_Might as well_,' Youko's smile was dark, slanting a look at Kagome through their lashes as they listened to the inane chatter going on around them.  '_If I'm challenged, I'll kill them.  No one else has to know, and I'm certain if I go through the proper channels, Sesshoumaru won't mind it too much_.'

            _Mikos don't approve of killing like that_, Hiei reminded him, his own gaze drawn curiously to the side at the server returning with a metal bowl that obviously contained something cold enough to form a line of frost along the exterior.  _What the hell did she ask for?_

            Shippou glanced up, taking a sniff of the air and sending her as scolding a look he could manage with his chopsticks still in his mouth, "I should never have told you about that, and I forbid you to eat it until you finish your lunch."

            "_You_ forbid me?" Kagome's brows rose, leaning back as the bowl was set in front of her with a flourish.

            _It's_-

            _Just vanilla ice cream_, Kurama had started to open his mouth when the server struck a match and applied it to a different dish, waiting for the puff of blue fire to dance across the contents before pouring it liberally over the waiting ice cream.

            Kagome giggled at the blank looks on their faces and stuck her tongue out at Shippou to sneak a spoonful of something that smelled both sweet and spicy at the same time, disturbingly still giving off that little blue fire, "Shippou has a real soft spot for sweets… so most places we go have better dessert menus than real food.  Bananas Foster," she pointed to the bowl in front of her and quickly stuck the spoon in her mouth before Shippou could take it away, grinning at his frown.

            "That's a special treat!" Shippou complained, folding his arms over his chest.  "You're not supposed to eat it in the middle of the day."

            "It still tastes the same," Kagome grinned, but the look turned into rather comical confusion when she heard a thunk and looked down to find the spoon had hit empty table on her attempt to get a second taste.  Blinking, she shifted forward, mouth open to accuse Shippou when movement out the corner of her eye had her turning to stare in disbelief at where Hiei was sitting with her bowl on the table in front of him, looking just as bland as ever with the exception of the spoon in his mouth.

            Kurama clapped a hand over his eyes and blew out a sigh, _You did not just steal her dessert_.

            _You should try it, it's not half bad_, Hiei was completely unruffled in the face of the accusation, giving Kagome his version of an innocent face as he continued to savor his ill-gotten goods.  _I think this is caramel… at least mostly, there's other stuff_-

            _You stole a _dessert_, Hiei_, Kurama cast his eyes skyward as though praying for patience when he heard attempts to muffle snickers from their other companions, not the least bit surprised when Yuusuke lost the battle and broke into loud laughter first.  And he had to admit, the mournful look on Kagome's face with the silent triumph radiating off his short friend _did_ make the entire event particularly amusing.  _Isn't that a little beneath you_?

            _I retract my offer for you to have a taste since it obviously affects your delicate sensibilities_, his eyes gleamed brightly in mockery as behind them, Shippou gave Kagome's hair a tug and directed her back towards more substantial dishes.

            '_Give me that damn bowl_,' Youko huffed and made a grab for it, growling when Hiei slid it to the side at the last moment to protect it for his exclusive consumption.

            _This is the most embarrassing thing you two have ever done to me_, Kurama forcefully reigned in Youko before he could all out dive at the youkai savoring the last of the sauce and banana slices, silently adding to his prayer for some sort of divine intervention to rescue him from the mess this was becoming.  At this point he would be grateful for anything-

            "Yuusuke, I'm so glad I found you!"

            _Except that_, his eyebrow twitched, hand fisting on his thigh when he recognized the cheerful voice raised towards them from the restaurant's entrance and turned to confirm the identity of the smiling girl in her trademark pink kimono.

            '_No_.  _I absolutely refuse to leave right now_,' Youko folded his arms and shook his head stubbornly, turning a baleful glare on the ferrier that Kurama managed to mostly filter out before she could notice.  '_She has the _worst_ timing!  Dammit all to hell, I'm making progress here!  We just got permission-_'

            Yuusuke was already sighing and pushing himself to his feet, mindful of the intense curiosity vibrating off Takashima in particular as he turned around, "Botan… let me take a wild guess."

            She winced sympathetically, hunching her shoulders and clasping her hands in front of her heart to give him a hopeful expression, "It's… um… very important?"

            "When is it not?" he rolled his eyes and didn't bother to hide his unhappiness before giving Kagome a rueful grin.  "Much as we hate to eat and run, Kagome, we got no choice sometimes."

            Her brows rose, nodding while her eyes continued to stray to this 'Botan' girl, shining a little brighter than normal under the strange hum of ki she was exuding, _Closest I can say is that it's like Kikyou was in the end… alive, but… not alive.  What is this person?  And where have I felt that energy?_

            "Duty calls?" she covered her shift of emotions, pressing a hand unobtrusively to her stomach when her body warmed and tried to lean towards the new source around it, wanting to know…

            "Unfortunately," he turned an uncertain look to Kurama where the kitsune looked to be locked in his own personal war, gaze turned inward and hands curled into tight fists against his thighs as the muscle in his jaw gave a telltale twitch.  "Can you call Keiko for me?  Tell her 'bout this and see the kids?"

            Kagome dipped her head in a nod of acknowledgement, "My pleasure."

"Thanks, Kagome, for that and lunch," Yuusuke grinned and stuffed his hands down in his pockets before kicking at the leg of Hiei's chair just to annoy him.  "Oi… you two ready?"

            _Suck it up, Fox, we don't get to call days off_, Hiei smirked, paying no attention to Yuusuke as he rose to his feet, but inclining his head to Kagome in a gesture of gratitude that was only half-taunting.  _She'll still be here when you get back_.

            '_They'll use the time we're gone to get her close to others in their grouping, you know they will!_' Youko protested, stubbornly trying to hold them in the chair.  '_This isn't fair!  I want to stay_.'

            _Hiei's right, Youko, now let go and let us up, or they'll just take us in an undignified fashion and I've been embarrassed enough in the last hour to last a human lifetime, _Kurama blew out a slow, controlled breath, eyes snapping open when he felt a small hand wrap around his wrist and squeeze lightly.

            "We can always do this again when you get back," Kagome winked at him, giving a nod towards the trio obviously waiting impatiently for him to join.  "Besides, this was more a family outing that the date Shippou thinks you were hoping to turn it into."

            "Oi!" Shippou scowled, kicking her in the calf for having his words repeated to the one person he didn't want to hear them.

            Kurama blinked in surprise, inwardly letting loose a string of expletives when Youko took him by surprise again and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her forward and locking their mouth over hers in a warm, deep kiss, _Youko, don't _do_ that!  Not just up and out of the blue, she'll get scared!_

            '_These stupid missions never have a timeframe, so shut up and enjoy it, hn?  I want to have this taste lingering in our mouth while we're gone,_' Youko sighed in appreciation, mollifying his outrage at the way she softened to allow the contact for a moment before pulling away with a shaky breath.  '_And she's not complaining, is she??_'

            "Your friends are waiting," she lifted a hand to rake through her hair and smooth it back out, cheeks again that soft shade of pink and licking her lips as she sought to shield her embarrassment at participating in such an intense, _public_ display.

            Kurama let her move away, untangling their own fingers and helping her to settle the rest of that heavy curtain until it was again falling in a soft wave down her back.  Offering her an affectionate smile, he gave into the urge to lean forward and press a less inflammatory kiss to her forehead before resting his against that exact spot and murmuring, "I'll make it up to you."

            She wasn't paying the slightest attention to Shippou's low growl of disapproval as her eyes fluttered closed on the sudden curling warmth spreading through her blood under the low caress in his voice on top of the almost painfully sweet, gentle touch of his skin on hers, _This… I… Damn, why does he have to be so good at this?  And why do I want to hear it_?

            "And don't date anyone while I'm gone," he leaned back and pressed a finger to her lips, trying to lighten his voice against the way Youko was determined to burn that into her mind.  But by the way her eyes slid closed a fraction in consideration, he knew he'd only been half-successful, and took both her hands in his to press a kiss to her knuckles as he forced the other side down to add a more cajoling, "Please?"

            Shippou let out a groan and sat back, trying to pretend he wasn't seeing Kagome get hooked right into Kurama's wishes with that single word and the gentlemanly kiss, "Hell, Nee-san, don't-"

            "I think I can manage that."

            "-Agree…  Shit," Shippou's chest expanded on a loud sigh when he saw Kurama's eyes glitter with arrogant victory at her agreement, turning to look anywhere but at them when the youkai's hands went back to cupping Kagome's face and pulling her forward for a shorter, lighter kiss.  _Now he's going to be even worse_… _Goddammit, I have really, _really _got to talk to her about how to turn off a kitsune_.

            _I'm getting nauseous, Kurama,_ Hiei drawled out suggestively at his reluctance to pull away, elbowing Yuusuke when it seemed the human had forgotten how to breathe at seeing such uncharacteristic behavior.  _And Yuusuke just may faint if he sees any more_.

            '_This is so completely fucking unfair_,' Youko growled again and pouted, sliding their hand through her hair in one last, lingering gesture as they let out a reluctant sigh in unison and stood.

            _Agreed… but… she'll have to accept this too_, Kurama reminded him, letting his fingertips pause on the slender line of the rose vine keeping watch around her throat and reinforcing the orders to keep her safe.  _Better now than later, and at least we don't have to lie to her about what we're leaving for_.

            '_I don't like it when you act responsible,_' Youko made a particular show of ignoring him as they left the table to join their companions and turning up his nose at the stunned looks on Botan and Yuusuke's faces.  '_And I also don't like that they are surprised to see us kissing our lover, _they_ will have to accept that_.'

            _That _is_ the first time they've seen you kiss anyone, you know_, Hiei pointed out with wicked amusement, briefly glancing back at the table to see the miko watching them go with a strangely serious expression while the monk and kitsune appeared to be whispering to each other heatedly.  _Dammit, I would kill to get into that empty head and see what she's thinking_.

            '_So long that's all you're up late trying to get into_,' Youko gave him a mental pat and snickered at the dark glare the hybrid shot them as Botan led them back to a deserted corner of the restaurant's lobby.

            "I-I really am sorry, Kurama," Botan was tugging on her ponytail, giving him anxious looks as she apologized.  "I didn't-  I mean, we didn't have any idea you were… you're seeing someone.  It's just-"

            Kurama sighed and made a faintly dismissive gesture with one hand, "Forget it, Botan.  We know there are times we will be called inconveniently, we've seen it happen enough with Yuusuke.  And as for knowing, I think it's safer to keep it a secret that 'Youko Kurama' is romantically involved.  Who knows what youkai might try to cause her trouble to get to me?"

            _Slick, Fox… very slick_, Hiei clucked his tongue in appreciation for that little piece of manipulating logic.

            _We don't want them gossiping about her and raising interest_, Kurama defended when the pair in front of him made sounds of understanding, meeting Yuusuke's more demanding glare and shaking it off to show he didn't want to explain any more details in front of Botan.

            "What the hell is this about anyway?" Yuusuke changed the subject, catching the faint grateful smile that curved the kitsune's lips upward and trying not to smirk in answer and accidentally tweak any more curiosity.  "What's our emergency?"

            "There have been a number of… systematic attacks on the barrier at strange intervals," Botan's expression instantly turned worried, chewing on her lip as she made a gesture with her hand to summon her oar and slice an opening in the natural flow of the realm to make a path into Reikai.  "Koenma is worried because they seem to be organized, or at least, more organized than usual.  A few of them have even managed to open the barrier, but they didn't pass through."

            Hiei's brows drew together as he waited for Yuusuke and Botan to step through before he followed, hooking his hand under Kurama's elbow and dragging him along when it became obvious the kitsune was dragging his feet, _That doesn't make sense_.

            "What're they attacking it for if they don't want to pass it?" Yuusuke wrinkled his nose, unknowingly mirroring Hiei's look of disgust and causing the hybrid to scowl at sharing a similar thought with him.

            "I think that's what he wants you for," she offered, cheeks still faintly pink at seeing Kurama behaving so closely with a human girl.  _Well, I guess that disproves that…_

            "Just great," Yuusuke blew out a sigh, kicking an imaginary rock on the ground and sulking at hearing they were most likely about to have Makai watch again until they could find the reason behind the odd random attacks.

            Tuning them out, Kurama glanced back over his shoulder and passively allowed Hiei to pull him into the portal as it started to close, absently encouraging the decorative foliage to shift aside and give him a clear visual line to the table Kagome occupied with her annoying relatives.

            A unexpected shiver of apprehension slipped down his spine, bringing him to a complete halt just within the opening when his senses roused to life at the look on Shippou's face, startled at the ferocity of the anger and hatred that had filled the normally easy-going expression.  Beside him, Shinju had also grown tense, one hand inside his jacket to no doubt rest on his ofuda in the gesture of one prepared to fight at the drop of a hat.

            The perusal took less than an instant, widening eyes moving to find Kagome only to discover his view was blocked by what was obviously the back of a tall, slender man with a long, dark ponytail hanging down between his shoulder blades.  The faintly curling locks swayed from side to side as he saw that man shake his head and then bow deeply, reaching out and covering Kagome's hand on the tabletop, fingers curling over it in a way that had a deep snarl building in Kurama's chest.

            The unidentified man chose that moment to shift his weight enough that it moved him aside and let Kurama take in the expression of Kagome's face, the pallor of her skin as the blood drained away and the disturbing way he could tell her pupils had severely contracted even from this distance.  Lips barely parted and back rigid as her eyes locked up on the face he couldn't see as the shock wiped away to be replaced with an emotion that rocked through his soul and settled painfully in his gut.

            Stark terror.

            Kurama had wrenched his arm out of Hiei's grasp, eyes flashing red as he pivoted to escape the portal and rip that man into a thousand pieces when it snapped shut and left him staring at a blank, white wall, palms flat against the unyielding cool stone.

            _No_-

            _What is it?_ Hiei snapped to attention, more than alarmed at the amount of youki spiraling around the kitsune as he remained motionless where he stood except for the slow curl of his fingers into white-knuckled fists.

            '_If he so much as _breathes_ on her_-' Youko's growl hummed across Hiei's senses with a violence that had the smaller youkai stepping back with instinctive caution.

            _He_?

            "Open the portal again, Botan," Kurama gritted out in a dangerously soft voice, taking deep, careful breaths as he fought to control himself.  "Now."

            "What happened?" Yuusuke demanded, brows drawing together as he tried to figure out what could have possibly caused this kind of reaction so suddenly.

            Kurama's chin tilted down towards his chest, hair hiding his face as his lips curled back off his fangs, "She was afraid."  _Her eyes… his hand was on her and her eyes were filled with fear_.  _I could feel it_.

            "Kagome?"

             "_Open it!_"

            '_Dammit, do something!  We'll rip him apart_ _for putting such things in her eyes… I want to feel his skin tearing under my claws, Kurama, I want to watch the life leave his eyes when I paint the ground with his blood for making her hurt like that!  For making her so afraid._'

            Kurama gritted his teeth hard against the gore of the images his other half was passing along with his constant growl, shuddering against the onslaught for a silent moment until he whispered back, _So do I_.


	29. Red Sky at Morning

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -snicker- Goodness!  So impatient!  -makes tsking noises before humming and packing up to hide from Kazusa- Don't be afraid that suggestions of plot points are getting buried amidst other things… this thing is plotted out, but admittedly twisted around like a jolly pretzel, so while it might take longer than some of you hope to get to certain points, they _will_ eventually come around.  (So long as they're IN the story –wicked grin-)  Still not giving any hints though… unhinted is much more fun!  XD

LOL, don't think it means I don't love you anymore, I'm just not planning to rush any scenes just for the sake of getting there faster.  It _has_ started the loop into a more, ah- intense portion of the story, so you'll see.  It probably won't take as long as you think to get around to more answers.    Hee hee.

As ever, to my darling reviewers and readers, my junkies and my helpful little chat-buddies, you're amazing and wonderful and I absolutely adore you all.  It's a lot more fun writing when you get to hear feedback and know that you're entertaining someone.  You say the sweetest things, and I LOVE getting those long reviews full of speculation and specifics.  –super ultra mega glomps and kisses all around-  You guys are truly fabulous.

By Any Other Name 

Red Sky at Morning

            Kagome felt a pulse run through her body when the sound of a throat clearing interrupted her attempts to stop the argument about random displays of kitsune affection, pressing one hand against her stomach on instinct as the cool feeling of unwanted anticipation poured into her veins.  Her lips were already tugging down in a frown as she began to turn towards the person waiting for acknowledgement, brows furrowed in concentration to decipher what could be setting her body so on edge without having already announced itself to her "other" senses when her gaze lifted up along a perfectly tailored business suit to a fine boned, aristocratic face.

The world fell away, pupils constricting the exact moment her gaze connected with warm, red-brown eyes watching her intently from that familiar face set into an _un_familiar expression.  She sat in frozen silence as something flashed deep in that soulful gaze, and he reached out an elegant hand to cover hers on the table while he bowed respectfully. 

"Please forgive my lapse of proper manners in getting your attention...  Nasamura Reiko," the deep voice filled Kagome's ears, pitched low to convey a sense of privacy, or even intimacy, but sending a freezing chill straight down her spine that bit sharper than any sliver of ice or knife's edge could hope to accomplish.

            _Reiko? _the name he'd offered clicked in her head abruptly and she bit down the sudden urge to let out a hysterical laugh at the sheer irony of it while darkly cursing whatever gods had arranged this event.  It was pure reflex to lean back when she felt the pair behind her fall silent, Shippou's ki sparking to violent life while Shinju's was tempered more with wariness and disbelief.

            She could feel the growing tension radiating off of them, the kitsune's own emotions understandably running steadily darker with her own given the personal association they carried as he reached forward and closed his hand over her shoulder in a gesture that was both support for her and warning to the man watching them so closely and touching her without permission.

            "I'm terribly sorry to have interrupted your meal, but I have been… unable to take my eyes off you," his head dipped again, lips parting in a smile that was more than disturbing to her for its disarming candor.  "I couldn't bring myself to resist the compulsion to speak with you."

            "They call that stalking," Shippou growled out, _suggesting_ he leave with his darkening scowl.

            Reiko glanced at him, arching an eyebrow in an arrogant motion that definitely brought Sesshoumaru to mind before ignoring the fuming kitsune, "I was very glad to see your other companions leave.  I believe it would have been more awkward under the circumstances."

            "In other words, you knew you'd get your ass kicked," lip curling up off his teeth to instinctively deepen the threat when he ignored the more subtle signs of dismissal.  "It's not any safer to interrupt without them here.  Go away."

            "Why me?" Kagome's voice was whisper soft, stopping whatever Reiko had been about to say as he refocused on her with a smile of pleasure to finally hear her speaking.  If he saw the haunted, cornered look turning her eyes almost three full shades lighter than normal, he gave no sign.

            "My eyes were drawn to you," he spoke without hesitation to repeat that fact, eyes momentarily turning inward before he seemed to shake off his inner thoughts and attempt to clarify.  "I cannot explain it to you, but I have learned to follow my instincts in all things.  Although I am more inclined when they lead me to a woman of your caliber."

            "Are you planning to stand there and spout off cheap lines all day, _Nasamura-san_?" Shippou emphasized carefully, grinding his teeth together and shifting closer to Kagome when he felt the ripple chase down her spine.  "Or did your instincts have something else to offer?"

"Actually, I believe I have something that belongs to you," he directed that answer to Kagome, his free hand slipping into his suit jacket and making both boys tense rapidly in defensive preparation, turning to bemusement when it came back into view with a light blue envelope.

            It was pure reflex that had her hand lifting to accept the offering when her senses failed to bring her any hint of a threat from it, numb fingers brushing his and nearly making her up and flee at the unexpected contact, "W-what is this?"

            "A smile.  For you," that charming smile of his own was back, eyes meeting hers to convey a spark of humor that had her eyes widening.

            "What the fuck kind of answer is that?" Shippou's eyes narrowed sharply, fingers clenching against the urge to erase his illusion and bury his claws in that face.  "Nee-san-!"

            "Take your… charming brothers with you," he continued to look only at her as he gave her fingers a squeeze before reluctantly releasing them, but there was a current in him that suggested he was pleased to hear of her relation to her companions.  "I'm told there is a certain peace to be gained from viewing the exhibit."

            Even more confused, and unable to process her thoughts around her knee-jerk reaction to shut down into herself rather than accept what was happening, Kagome hesitantly broke the glue seal of the heavy paper and looked at the contents, _What-?  Tickets… to a garden display?  At a temple?_

            "Let's say I hate to see a beautiful young lady in distress," his voice dipped to an almost hypnotic cadence as he offered her another bow when he saw the question in her eyes, removing his other hand in a way that had his fingertips sliding caressingly across the skin.

            Kagome sucked in a breath, waiting for the crackle of youki, the burn of ki sliding over her senses and forcing its taint into her blood.  She was ready, waiting for it, and had opened her mouth, sitting up to offer a more direct confrontation when she went perfectly still, eyes paling under a wave of confusion.

Nothing.

Nothing but the vibration of a perfectly normal human, an old soul definitely, but besides that…  Kagome's shoulders dropped with the release of her taut muscles, staring up at the amused face above her with a sort of disoriented alarm, _It can't be… nothing?  What-?  Why is there-?  But this _is…  _Oh my gods_…

            "I-I can't possibly accept-"

            "Use them, shoujo," he abruptly brushed the back of his hand over her cheek in the barest touch, pulling back before she could cringe away from the contact.  Smiling warmly at the skittish girl and her remaining lunch partners, he stepped back and pressed his hand over his heart in an old-fashioned gesture, "I will consider it a fair trade to know you are smiling as you should be.  Perhaps it will help to relax you the next time we meet."

            "You must not be that good a stalker to have missed the part where she was kissing her boyfriend at the table, Nasamura-san," Shippou pulled her back by the shoulder when he saw him reaching out to Kagome again, bringing his other hand to rest on her shoulder as well and giving that man a challenging scowl.  "I don't think he'd be too happy to see that she was receiving gifts from strange men."

            If the situation were any less serious, Kagome would have rolled her eyes and called him on the fact that so far, he was her loudest voice of disapproval on getting to know the reborn kitsune better.  For him to be openly calling Kurama something so intimate…

            "There is not seeing and there is not caring," his lips quirked slightly in a confident half-smile when he turned away from them to leave.  "If he wished to be seen and contended with, he should have remained instead of leaving such a lovely girl to fend for herself," he cast back over his shoulder, eyes unwavering in their perusal of her still form perched on the edge of her chair.  "I will see you again."

            Kagome felt a pulse deep inside her body out of synch with her heart beat when his eyes gleamed more brightly for a brief moment until he turned away and walked out of the restaurant just as calmly as he'd approached the table in the first place, _Hold it together, Kagome, do not get sick…. Do _not_ get sick_.

            "If you get sick I'll make you eat all over again," Shippou finally murmured in the tense silence, trying to cut through the painful tension hovering around the table in the wake of Nasamura's passing.  When she turned woodenly to look at him, he reached out and cupped her cheeks in his hands with exaggerated care, "Nee-san… are you-?"

            "I think… I'm going to embarrass myself," Kagome whispered when he trailed off helplessly.

            Shippou gave her a single nod, sharing a speaking glance with Shinju before rising and sweeping her up onto her shoulder in a single, fluid motion even as he flicked two leaves in place to leave an illusion covering their aided departure to a more secluded spot, _This just isn't fucking _fair!_  Kagome's already dealt with so much and it just keeps coming!_

            Wincing, he let his eyes return to their natural state in an effort to soothe her, setting her on her feet against the wall in one of the small alcoves dotting the waiting area while another quick whisper had another illusion snapping into place to hide them, "Nee-san…"

            "The shogun," Kagome spoke as if she hadn't heard him, her hands sliding deep into her hair to grip the sides of her head as though she feared it would split apart at any moment.  "He… he looks just like him, Shippou!" the laugh held a note of panic as she shook her head from side to side.  "But there's no youki, nothing in him that calls to me.  Not like that-"

            "Shh, it's all right," Shippou swallowed hard, wrapping his arms around her and dragging her up against his chest when he saw the way her shoulders were starting to tremble.  "Calm down, Kagome.  You don't want to lose it in the restaurant, do you?"

            "If I could be positive it would kill that snobby bastard maître d' for it, I might consider it a reasonable mistake," she muttered, burying her face against his chest and winding her arms around his back to practically crush herself into him.

            His ribs expanded with his soft chuckles, beyond relieved that she was still holding herself relatively calm and composed enough to make that kind of joking statement, "Wrong era, Nee-san… we'd have to take him back about a century."

            Kagome let out a wavering laugh, reaching up and brushing her hand over her cheeks to wipe away the tears that had begun to seep silently from her eyes, "I wish sometimes-"

            Shippou sighed when she cut herself off, sliding his hand up and down her back as he tried to soothe the agitation flickering almost visibly over her skin, "I know, Nee-san, I know.  We all do, but we get through it."  He chewed on his lip nervously for a moment, glancing around to be sure they were still alone before he urged her, "It… might help to talk."

            "About what?" she reached up a tentative hand to touch her forehead, only then noticing she was still clutching the sealed envelope.  "I was just hit on by a human without an ounce of active magic with the face of the shogun Naraku consumed and the soul of-" she cut herself off when she felt Shippou's body go completely rigid.

            "Soul of-?" Shippou tried hard not to growl as he prodded for her to finish that.

            Kagome dropped her forehead onto his shoulder wearily, all the energy seeming to drain out of her as he watched, "You know what I was going to say."

            "Onigumo," his jaw clenched, feeling his eyebrow twitch with the emotions roiling just below the surface at speaking that name out loud.  "Goddammit… what genius thought giving that bastard another chance in _that_ body would be a good idea?"

            "Someone who wasn't there," she blew out a sigh that seemed to come all the way from her toes, closing her eyes to block the memory of that face.  "Or someone who doesn't understand that some souls and bodies shouldn't be restored."

            "If I find whoever is responsible, I won't forgive them," Shippou rested his hand on the back of her head, resting his chin against her hair and taking in a deep breath as he expanded his youki in an effort to calm her when he felt her soul expand and pulse throughout her body.  He remained quiet for a few heartbeats longer before his fingers tightened and he whispered, "Gods… I wanted to kill him."

            Kagome felt herself smile faintly to answer the intensity of that growl, relaxing even more with the kitsune saying the words he knew she couldn't bring herself to say, "Shippou-chan." 

            "It's true," he let out a snort of self-deprecating amusement.  "Five centuries of Sesshoumaru's lessons and training on control and the first thought that crossed my mind was how badly I wanted to jump over that chair and rip out his throat to watch him die in front of us again.  I wanted to feel his blood cooling on my claws and listen to his heart stop while his eyes go dim."

            Kagome sighed and started to respond when her back suddenly arched, eyes clenching shut and biting off a choked gasp when a stronger pulse flared out from her body.  Her hands left Shippou's shirt in an instant, coming back up to grip her head at the flood of images racing just behind her eyes and the overlapping sound of screams and whispers grating across her senses like a dull knife against stone.

She could still see it, still feel the ki in the slick, viscous fluid coating her hands like ink, staining the skin an ashen gray wherever it touched until the flow of pink followed behind to clear it away, **_Blood… there is nothing more seductive, is there, my precious Tama?  The blood of an enemy coating your flesh, painting their suffering all the way to your hungry soul.  You can hear it singing, can't you?_**

Angrily she banished the memory, jerking her head sharply to shake them loose, _I do not kill for such reasons.  No matter how tainted you tried to make the jewel before I purified it, Naraku, I sealed it back where it belonged.  I am not a mindless thing to fall to such dark instincts now that it's over_.

"-_ome!_" Shippou's claws dug into her shoulders, giving her a quick shake in his panic and blowing out the breath he'd been holding when he saw her eyes clear.  "Kagome, are you all right?"

"I'm okay," she hurried to assure him, wrapping her hands around his wrists and encouraging him to retract his claws before he forgot himself and made a mess they'd have a bit of a time trying to explain.  "It was just… just a moment."

"You went back," he frowned in concern, pressing one hand flat over her heart to check the beat against the pulse of her soul.  "What were you playing for yourself, Nee-san?"

Kagome let out a soft laugh, gently pulling his hand away and giving him a little smile of reassurance, "Easy, puppy.  It was just a memory I wasn't expecting to come out, and especially not so fast."

"I'm not a puppy," Shippou's brows drew together and he let out a huff of disapproval for the title.

Her smile grew easier, forcing herself back under control as she retracted the spilling waves of pink and violet energy to settle below the surface of her skin, "All right, all right.  Kit."

"That's not much better," he grouched out, but she could see his lips twitch.  "But I think I know the best way to cheer you up."

"What's that?" Kagome's brows lifted, more than ready to let herself be distracted away from the encounter with the face she saw only too often in her nightmares.

Shippou puffed up his chest giving her a wink as he lifted a finger to his lips as though imparting a great secret, "Sesshoumaru kept the tapes."

She was speechless, the bottom seemed to fall out of her stomach even as the last hellish whisper when sailing out of her mind to return to her subconscious before she breathed out, "You're kidding."

"Nope!" his eyes brightened, chasing away the shadows and preening at having been able to make her own gaze clear so quickly.  "Perfectly preserved and fully functional.  All of them."

"Oh my gods!" Kagome whispered, gripping his shirt with both hands and yanking on it distractedly as she demanded.  "You're really serious!  He kept them?  He saved them?"

Shippou nodded, fanning her enthusiasm shamelessly, "We can have Koji-chan bring them down to the temple and save Souta from the chores he got from Shinju.  I'll even cook!"

"You can cook?" Kagome gave him a tauntingly disbelieving look, but underneath it was clearly deep gratitude.

"Absolutely!  I've gotten bored and gone through a few culinary schools," he informed her loftily, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and flicking his hand to banish the guarding illusion as he led her back towards the table where Shinju waited in impatient concern.  "It'll be just what you need!  I'll make a fabulous dinner while you're showing off the beginnings of the family to your brother and your evil, cheating son."

"You're still bitter about this morning, I see," Shinju remarked dryly when he caught the end of that remark, rising to his feet as the tension flowed out of him at seeing the haunted look had left Kagome's eyes.

            "You get that lying thing from your father's side," Shippou returned without missing a beat.  "And don't feed me that 'I'm a monk' bullshit, either, you're evil and you enjoy it."

            "I take offense to such disparaging remarks," Shinju turned up his nose, twisting lithely to snatch Kagome out from under the kitsune's arm and clasp both her hands as he made his voice as humble and pleading as he could manage.  "Dearest Kaa-san… surely you would never believe such lies to be spouted off against your beloved child?"

            Kagome just barely managed to hold an unaffected expression, detangling her hands from his to give him a patronizing tap on the head, "Your 'dearest Kaa-san' is already fully aware of just what kind of monk you are, Shinju, although I have to say I'm grateful you resist the urge to grope family."

            He blanched and looked offended, "I'm not _that_ perverted!"

            "Suggesting that you _are_ perverted after all," Shippou drawled out smugly at the word trap the boy had just walked into and snickering when he earned a scowl for his amusement.  "Don't fry me with that face, brat, you're the one that fell for it.  And after you should know better, too!  Nee-san learned from the source."

            Kagome and Shippou nodded sagely in unison before equally dissolving into giggles they tried unsuccessfully to hide at his evident irritation.

            "I am obviously not going to receive help from either of _you_," he gave into the urge to stick out his tongue, making them laugh even harder as he turned and collected his jacket in an elegant motion before giving Shippou a pointed look.  "Are we done or are you two going to stand there all day?"

            "Aw, you're so cute when your feelings are hurt," Shippou crooned and looped his arm around the young man's neck to haul him off towards the entrance, glancing back to smile at Kagome and make sure she was all right to follow without assistance.

            She made a motion with her hand, smiling back and shaking her head at the cursing that drifted up from her son as he struggled uselessly against the kitsune's strength, but allowing herself a more sedate pace to keep to herself, _He is trying to distract me… Ah, Shippou-chan, you've always been the one who takes it on yourself to bring my thoughts to happier places_.

            Kagome let out a sigh, unconsciously loosening the tautness of her shoulders as her energy reached down into the ground and brought her a soothing wave of ki, lifting a fingertip to stroke over the slender vine of the rose she'd more or less forced into dormancy for their surroundings, _But why do I find myself wishing I was looking at another face?  Wishing he was here and wrapping his arms around me…  Why do I want to hear him tell me that he'll protect me?_

            She didn't even know this "Youko Kurama" beyond their sporadic and short meetings, or that damned dream she'd conjured up with the rose's help to bring him to her so intimately.  Even more damning, each meeting seemed to involve getting into a compromising position with the beautiful man, but…

            _Mou, it really has been too long if I'm looking forward to the moments I know he's going to just grab me and kiss me_, Kagome wrinkled her nose in a pout of disgust.  _Am I really turning that shallow?  But… if I'm not… why do I want to touch him?  It takes longer than that to develop deeper feelings, doesn't it?_

            Kagome jumped slightly when she felt a tiny thread wind sinuously around her fingertip, blinking and separating the feeling to find that the rose had roused enough to curl the end of a vine gently around that digit in a gesture meant to comfort her.  Chuckling softly, she brought up her other hand to pet the vine, _I should blame you for having such trouble banishing him from my mind.  I can hear you when you whisper his words to me_.  _But_-

            "Oi!  Nee-san!" Shippou snapped her out of her reverie, lifting her eyes to where the two of them were waiting and then lowering to the phone he was tucking back inside one of his many enchanted pockets.  "Are you going to stand back there and sigh like a high-school girl, or are we actually going to do something fun with the rest of today?"

            "I can take an hour and see if you've recovered from your morning training, Shippou, don't think I won't!" she called out to him, but was already quickening her steps to reach them on the sidewalk.

            "Have a heart, Nee-san, I'm delicate!" he whined out, trying to give her his pathetic face and throwing in a limp as he pressed a hand over his side.

            Shinju snorted.

            "And he'll cheat," Shippou jerked a thumb at the monk with his own look of superiority that he had learned to perfect from Sesshoumaru.  "You know he will, he can't resist!  It's in his blood."

            "Are you calling my mother a cheater?  How terribly rude," Shinju mock sighed, pressing his palm to his own cheek and constructing a putout expression.  "To think that a boy would say such things in front of the same lady who-"

            "You can't possibly run fast enough, you little brat," Shippou growled, taking a half-hearted swing that was predictably dodged and then darting after him when the boy took off down the sidewalk with the kitsune giving chase, slow enough that they wouldn't lose sight of Kagome, but quickly enough to make the run seem real.

            Kagome took in a deep breath as she followed their trail back towards the station that would take them home, filtering out the human pollution to find the clean breath of nature stubbornly clinging to air so deep within the city as she picked up her disrupted musings, _Perhaps I'm only homesick_._  Being near him… touching him… I feel so alive again_.  _Is that why he is so attractive to me?  Or is it something else?_

            ::_This one will not be easily dissuaded to give up knowledge of that damned jewel for gaining my permission to approach you.  As agreed, I neither approve, nor disapprove of his suit, miko.  I leave it to you, but do not allow yourself to be taken in by pretty trickery, no matter how appealing it may seem.  We do not know if he has learned more than he should…  But never forget that you have only to say the words to this Sesshoumaru that this avatar has crossed the line and he will be removed.  Here you are safe, and shall remain so regardless of the means necessary to do so.::_

            Kagome wrapped her arms around herself as the taiyoukai's parting warning repeated in her mind, frowning in mild concern as her own suspicions trailed through her mind, _Could he have figured it out?_

            Unbeknownst to the troubled miko, a pair of red-brown eyes watched her walk away intently, memorizing the lines of her body and the almost inhuman grace of her movements.  Warmth filled them as they traced the way the sunlight glinted off the heavy curtain of midnight black hair swaying across her backside, the hand in his pocket closing into a fist against the urge to slide his fingers through it and ingrain the texture into the deepest part of his soul.

            _Whatever has drawn my eyes to you and calls to my soul, Takeharuka Kagome, I will not allow you to escape from me…  I will find you no matter where you go or who thinks to take the light of your eyes for their own._

            Reiko lifted his hand to his mouth, darting his tongue out to taste his skin where it had touched her face and savoring the oddly sweet tang that seemed to cling to his fingers, _I will make you smile for me_.

::………::

            "_Botan!_" Kurama's voice lifted furiously, mingling thickly with Youko's in a violent snarl when she continued to stand with a stunned look of confusion on her perpetually child-like face.  "What are you doing?! _ Open it!  **Now**!_"

            '_Why are they standing there and staring without fucking doing anything!?_' Youko's own voice had nearly become unintelligible through his growling, but Kurama never had trouble with the words.  '_The longer they wait-_!'

            "There will be no more portals opened within the Hall of Records, youkai."

            Kurama's head snapped around, eyes flashing red in spiking fury at that flat denial to his demand, "What the-?!"

"You heard me fine, don't pretend your ears give you troubles… but even if you were to be granted access back to where you left Kagome-sama, what would you do?" the woman's voice scolded from off to their left and drew their deadly gaze, the gravelly quality of her voice matching easily with stooped and aged form kneeling comfortably at a low table practically covered with scrolls.  Certain she had their attention, she lifted her face to reveal one eye covered with a thick, leather patch while her good eye watched with piercing intensity.  Her hand tirelessly painted words down the open scroll before her while she added to her question, "Attacking a human in the midst of such a place out of jealousy has been forbidden for quite some time after all."

            "Jealousy?" Kurama's brows lowered into an impossibly deeper scowl at the perceived source of Botan's hesitation, twisting around and standing before her with both palms slapped down forcefully against the table before the others had even registered his movement across the grayscale room.  "It's not _jealousy_ if Kagome is terrified out of her mind!  I have to protect-!"

            "Kagome-sama is fine," she huffed at his show of impatience, holding her other hand calmly over the blurred spatter of ink that had spilled from his action and waiting for it to vanish before her writing continued as though the interruption had never happened.  "It would take more than such a simple thing to cause her harm.  She has been given a shock, but she is made of stronger stuff than you seem to give her credit for."

            "I know what I saw-" he started again and fought back and explosive snarl when she lifted her free hand imperiously and cut him off again.

            "I did not say that she was not terrified at the moment you looked at her face," she scolded him with that same quiet authority that had Youko grinding his teeth in annoyance.  "She was taken by surprise, and yes, she has had a scare, but she will recover from it soon enough."

            "How can you claim that knowledge?" Kurama's voice dropped, barely noting Hiei as the hybrid came up at his side, slightly behind him to conversely offer support and restraint if necessary.  "How can you know what is happening while you hesitate?!"

            "I became a scribe of history at my death, Youko Kurama… or do you prefer Minamino Shuuichi?" he could have sworn her lips just twitched at him in amusement over his obvious anxiety.  "One would think you were embarrassed at your chosen humanity with your reluctance to share that name with the young miko."

            Distracted now, he blinked and leaned back, trying to figure out if he could trust this old woman about Kagome's condition or if this was some sort of trick, distracting him with what he viewed as pointless an inconsequential, "Embarrassed-?  _Who_ are you?"

            "That is simple enough, I suppose…  Once upon a time I was called Kaede-sama, a miko in the Sengoku Jidai era," she offered casually, dropping her gaze back to the scroll as she made a final brushstroke and watched the surface glow brightly for a moment before leaving her a new blank page.  "However, there are very few in this place who know me as anything besides the Sage of Time."

            "Then why tell us that name?" Hiei asked suspiciously, reaching out to set a quelling hand on Kurama's arm and frowning at the tension vibrating in the life ki racing along the kitsune's skin under his palm.  _This is a little too convenient, Kurama_-

            'Fuck_ convenient!  What's happening to Kagome?!_' Youko seethed out, shoving violently against their boundaries in his efforts to get his answers immediately.  '_She's afraid and I'm not _there!_  Get us back, Kurama, get us back now!  I will not tolerate someone causing such feelings in my lover!_'

            "That's the way it's supposed to be," Kaede shrugged it aside in a particularly blasé fashion, ignoring the dark emotions radiating from the youkai in front of her.

            "What do you mean?" Yuusuke cleared his throat, giving Kurama wide berth as he inched closer to the old woman writing at the table and twisting his head to try and read over what she was scribing. 

"You may need to be familiar with it in the future, you may not be, it will depend upon the courses your lives take," she looked up at Yuusuke, arching an eyebrow in a way that made him feel like a little kid being caught reading his mother's diary without permission.  "I am a Sage, an advisor, not a Fate to steer your direction at my whims.  However, I can tell you that you are not needed at the side of this miko for her present confrontation.  That _is _the work of Fate, and it will not be denied."

'_Fate?_' Youko spat the word like a curse, lip curling up in disgust at the suggestion. 

_Like hell_, Kurama closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control the raging desire to snap that table in half with his bare hands.

"What confrontation?" Yuusuke asked in the tense silence, looking from Kurama's tight expression to the woman staring at them as calmly as though there were discussing the weather.

"Kagome-sama is now meeting a man named Nasamura Reiko," she answered as her gaze returned to the scroll.  "Had the choices of their lives been different, so would the meeting, and so would the outcome.  But their current Fate was changed by other choices in the past."

"What changed?" Kurama could feel his eyebrow twitch, concentrating on taking deep breaths to calm himself and reanalyze what had become a completely intolerable scenario.

            A low chuckle answered him, and for one agonizing moment, he thought she would merely ignore his "request" for that information before she pinned him with a disturbingly intelligent glare and murmured, "Are you sure you wish to know the answer to your question, Youko Kurama?"

            '_If she were alive-_' Youko started to growl all over again.

            "Yes," Kurama absently soothed his other half enough to focus on the answer, returning that piercing gaze unflinchingly.  _If she truly is the Sage of Time, Youko, we can trust her words.  Kagome could be safe_.

            "Nasamura Reiko was to meet Higurashi Kagome on this date and begin a cycle that was once interrupted," she sat back, amazingly writing on without pause while all her attention remained on them.  "They were to have met and fallen in love."

            '_We are going back _right **now**,' Youko's voice dropped down to a lethal hiss.  '_Fuck Koenma, fuck Reikai, and _fuck _whatever mission he wants to send us on_.'

            "You said that was changed?" Hiei urged when he caught the disturbing images vibrating out of the kitsune's mind, well aware from the way Yuusuke and Botan winced and backed away that they had felt the way his ki had turned.

            Kaede nodded a single time, making a motion with one hand that had a creature appearing before them, a small child entirely white from her hair and skin to her simple kimono, except for dark, blank eyes set into her expressionless face, "Write for me, Kanna.  While I see to our guests."

            "Hai."

            Yuusuke stared at her in a mixture of awe and horror, backing away another step when the old woman rose and stepped aside to let the child take her place, reaching out to take the brush and kneel before her own writing left that elegant script making a fluid path down the scroll, "That… is that a ghost?"

            "Kanna was a youkai during her life, but was offered a place here amongst us due to other circumstances," Kaede answered simply, folding her hands behind her back and walking calmly to the wall as a curl of mist reached up the plain surface to form a small, circular mirror.  "Come, Youko Kurama, I will show you that your fears are groundless."

            He paid the pale girl not another thought as he turned and followed to stare at the reflective surface, barely aware of the others following more slowly and Yuusuke's gaze continuously straying to where Kanna knelt with open unease, "What is this?"

            "Kanna's mirror," she reached out and pressed two fingers to the surface, making it ripple and bow inwards for a moment until it shivered and revealed an image of Kagome walking down a sidewalk with her hands stuffed in her pockets and a thoughtful look on her face.

            Kurama felt the tension flow out of him in a wave that nearly left him shaking, blowing out a startled breath in unison with Youko as their eyes widened and they very nearly shoved the old woman aside before they caught themselves and stopped directly behind her, "Is this-?"

            "The present," Kaede closed her eyes and nodded, her expression never changing.  "Do you see?  I told you Kagome-sama would be fine."

            Youko was about to voice his suspicions about the authenticity of the image when he saw Shinju dart across the "screen," running in a circle around the unfazed miko for what seemed to be no apparent reason until Shippou came into view as well.  The pair of them continued to chase around her, using her as a living barrier while she remained unaffected by their bizarre antics and shouted insults, '_The present…  She is unharmed_.'

            "Satisfied?" Kaede inquired with a quirk of her lips, flicking her hand to banish the image just as Kurama had been reaching out mindlessly to touch the image.  "Even without your presence, Kagome-sama is well-guarded.  Those two would never allow her to be injured while they live."

            "Why did you show us this?" Kurama bit back the desire to growl and demand she return that comforting image to the oddly vibrating mirror.  "How do you know her?  Us?"

            '_She calls her "Kagome-sama," Kurama, why is she doing that?_' Youko pointed out, his thoughts clearing enough to focus on the discrepancies of the conversation now that his panic had been assuaged.  '_Someone of her position shouldn't know of a human sort-of miko so specifically to offer that kind of respect_.'

            "I do not permit destructive emotions to fill my Hall," Kaede responded with another shrug, moving away from the wall and letting the mists reclaim the mirror.  "Your paths are crossing with mine and bringing the history being written to my personal attention.  It is always wise to know whom you are dealing with."

            "Why are we here?" Hiei looked around and then at Botan who clasped her hands together in front of herself nervously under his scrutiny.

            "You have stirred legends of the past," she informed them with a faintly disapproving frown.  "Legends formed within my lifetime.  I am not the only one who was curious to see who would be foolish enough to resurrect interest in the Shikon-no-Tama."

            _That jewel again,_ Hiei's eyes narrowed and returned Kaede searchingly.  _Dammit, why do I feel like everyone knows this story except us?_

            _It's starting to feel that way,_ Kurama gritted his teeth.

            "You know about that thing?" Yuusuke blurted out in amazement before a look of speculation entered his eyes.

            Kaede chuckled when she saw that look and shook her head, "I am not going to aid your search."

            "Then why-?" he started to demand.

            "As I said, I was curious," the smile she gave made the lines on her face deepen for a moment.  "The jewel is a dangerous thing, and it brings pain and torment to all those who choose to involve themselves in its path.  That was the hard-learned lesson of the past, and it has served to keep the stories buried where they belong until now."

            "Do you know a Sango, then?" Kurama repeated the question Youko prodded him with, determined to fill in a few more pieces from this source of information that could help them towards their other goal.

            "She was the last survivor of her village, the village that Midoriko came from," Kaede tilted her head to regard them, as though deciding what they were worthy of hearing before she spoke.  "She ascended to her status as a god of vengeance for her place in freeing the world of the evils of the jewel."

            "Vengeance," Yuusuke repeated with a shiver.

            _That explains that_, Hiei remarked dryly, but still gave an internal smile at having the minor mystery solved.

            '_That explains why Koenma's terrified of her, anyway,_' Youko chuckled at the memory as well.  '_Good, good… ask more.  Does she know the husband?_'

            "That would mean you know her husband as well," Kurama was nodding to Youko even as he voiced that statement.

            "Houshi-sama," Kaede's lips were curving again when she saw the frustrated disappointment fill the faces of the three men around her and the sudden realization that chased across Botan's.

            '_Goddammit, what is it about no one saying his fucking name?_' Youko was right back to scowling in annoyance at that.

            _They're all protecting the legend, and he obviously plays a big part in it_, Kurama sighed and resisted the urge to rub at the ache growing behind his temples.

            "Houshi-sama?" she squeaked out in disbelief, shrinking back at the sudden, intense attention that drew her way from her companions.  "What?  I'm a girl, of course I know him!"

            "What the hell does that mean?" Yuusuke looked absolutely flabbergasted as he tried to wrap his mind around that logic.

            "It means that even in death, certain aspects of Houshi-sama's character remain unchanged," Kaede answered for her, waving aside the grateful look the ferrier sent her.  "He has always had a habit of approaching beautiful women with less than innocent intentions."

            "You wound me to the soul, Kaede-sama," a low, cultured voice purred out from behind them, all eyes immediately moving to seek out the sound only to find it hidden deeply in a collection of shadows that seemed to have gathered at the opposite end of the chamber.  "To say such disparaging things when I am not here to defend my humble person."

            _It's him!_ Kurama tensed, feeling a sudden rush of eager adrenaline at the realization that the one person who they _knew_ held all the answers they wanted had just mysteriously and inexplicably appeared.

            _There is no way in all the hells that he didn't plan this_, Hiei's knees bent, eyes flashing as he instinctively readied himself for any potential threats coming from the hiding god.        

            '_Of course he did,_' Youko was back to sounding particularly pleased, settling down and folding his arms as he waited for the chance to size up the new opponent.  '_Everything they've said… everything he's done.  This is a smart little bastard, and this has to be something that he's planned.  He doesn't seem the type to leave loose ends_.'

            _In other words, a group of youkai poking their noses around in a legend he's deliberately hidden for more than five centuries?_ Kurama snorted as he retranslated that, glancing at the way Botan had slipped around behind Yuusuke and seemed to be peeking over his shoulder while Kaede let out a sigh.

            "I suspected you would be arriving soon enough, Houshi-sama," she again clasped her hands in a meditative pose, but her gaze had filled with deep, almost maternal affection as she unerringly stared at one spot in the center of that unnatural darkness.

            "My heart warms to feel so welcomed," he chuckled richly and the shadows seemed to bow towards the old woman.  "These are the ones?"

            Kaede nodded, but her attention lingered longest on Kurama, "These are the ones who stole your scrolls from Koenma's office and managed to meet with Sesshoumaru."

            "And retain your heads?  My, my… I _am _impressed," now the voice held a not of taunting as the shadows pulled away enough to leave them with the vague outline of a man dressed in priests robes from the Sengoku Jidai era.  "The Western Lord does so have a fondness for separating them from their rightful place after all."

            "Why are you here?" Kurama grew impatient with the way that voice had filled with suppressed laughter.  "You brought us through this portal, didn't you?"

            "Of course!" he chirped out in a decidedly cheerful voice.  "Kaede-sama was correct when she informed you that she was not the only one curious to see you.  Besides that, I hear you have been anxious to meet with me as well.  And who am I to deny an audience to such important persons with the Reikai?"

            '_That monk is sweet talking us,_' Youko let out a bark of laughter.  '_Oh gods, I love it.  Get him out in the open, Kurama, I'm going to like this one, I can feel it_.'

            _If you hit on a god who's married to a god of vengeance, Youko, I swear I really will find some way to kill you_, Kurama bit the inside of his cheek when he felt the kitsune's excitement.  _I will not be embarrassed that way in front of such a creature_.

            '_I don't know,_' Youko drawled out, obviously putting on airs to make Kurama more uncomfortable.  '_I've never had a chance to have sex with a god before… if he's attractive, it could be fun_.'

            Hiei nearly choked, turning his face aside to get himself under control when he caught the way Kurama's cheeks had turned pink with the words of his less-restrained half, _Did you just-?_

_            Say it and die a grisly, violent, humiliating death right here on the floor in Reikai_, Kurama bit out fiercely.

            '_Hell, I'm teasing!  He's dead, baka, even if he _is _a god, he'd have to find a body to possess for us to be able to do that,_' Youko suddenly turned a speculative eye on Hiei.  '_Maybe-_'

            _Not on your life, you sick freak_, Hiei blanched at the thought and sent him a dark glare.  _Besides, don't you already _have _a lover you're chasing down like a rabid dog?_

            '_I will ignore that insulting comparison once, hybrid, do not make it again_,' Youko's voice turned serious, flexing his ki down Kurama's arms to reinforce that command.

            "Maa maa," the monk lifted his hands and made a placating gesture, perfect teeth flashing in a smile in the darkness.  "There is no need for anything of that nature.  The Hall of Records is a peaceful place that was not meant to be disrupted with such energies."

            Kurama felt the energy drain out of him, staggering back in alarm under that bizarre drawing sensation and flashing a startled look to the unmoved figure, "What are you doing to me?"

            "Removing your anger," that smile flashed again.

            '_My ass, he's sucking out our ki!_' Youko quickly flicked his hands, wrapping his own energy around their souls in a protective gesture before regarding the monk with more caution than he'd held a moment ago.  '_That sneaky little fucker!_'

            _Rethinking your idea to like him?_ Hiei snorted in amusement, but he too had taken up a more obvious defensive position.

            '_Hell no, I'm just having to rethink his abilities,_' Youko returned absently, much more focused on setting up a fine network of safeguards to at least slow the monk's efforts.  '_We need to find out what kind of god he is_.'

            "I believe in using the most effective ways to get the attention of others without resorting to violence," that voice was laced with something that had the two youkai snapping to attention in recognition.

            _He's toying with us_, Kurama murmured with a bit of awe.

            _He's also enjoying this as much as you would in his place_, Hiei accused in mild disgust, darting a look at the kitsune and further to Yuusuke's uncertain expression.

            "Houshi-sama," Kaede had closed her eyes again, nearly looking like she had fallen asleep standing up before she finished in the same tone, "you are behaving like a child."

            The shadows seemed to droop slightly at the censure and those lips twisted down in an unhappy frown, "Kaede-sama, are you accusing me of inappropriate behavior?"

            She arched an eyebrow at him, "You have not changed."

            "Sango would not love me so much if I allowed such a thing to occur," he let out a mock sigh as his head dropped to the side to rest on his shoulder.  "But we digress," his tone turned serious so abruptly that it had them blinking in minor disorientation, "we are here to discuss your intentions."

            "Our intentions?" Yuusuke's brows drew together, looking from the tense expressions on his friend's faces to the slow smirk spreading across the face of the hidden monk.

            He nodded, bringing one hand up in a praying pose, "In your research of my writings.  Did you like them?"

            "Bunch of confusing bullshit," Yuusuke's lip curled in remembered frustration.

            "Yes, I'm quite proud of my work," he preened under the complaint as though he'd just been offered the highest words of praise.  "Although, I am impressed… most often those seeking the truth behind the legends of the Shikon-no-Tama lose their interest after reading my scrolls."

            "Amateurs," Youko snuck out that disparaging remark before Kurama could sensor it, smirking when the monk turned again to face him alone.

            The silence was broken by another deep chuckle, this one full of speculation at the single word challenge, "Ah, then you are my opponent.  I suppose to a spirit kitsune of your considerable age such a thing would be a fair enough description of those who came before you." 

            _Youko, you're digging our grave_, Kurama hissed at him.

            '_Oh I am not,_' Youko waved that off carelessly.  '_We're only playing_.'

            _You're insane_, he insisted.

            _And it only took thirty years for you to admit to this?_ Hiei slanted him an arch look before returning to keep his focus on the shadowed monk.

            _I'll leave you naked in a human mall if you keep that up,_ Kurama promised irritably, setting his jaw against the feeling of being tormented from all angles.  _Don't think I won't_.

            "Houshi-sama, you are being difficult," Kaede rolled her eye, and focused a look on him that had those hands back up to ward off the disapproval.  "And you are wasting time skulking in your shadows."

            He let out a reluctant sigh, dipping his head in an acknowledging nod, "Yes, yes… but you cannot blame me for enjoying myself.  We so rarely get visitors of this nature anymore.  Especially not ones being guided by such a beautiful lady."

            Botan gripped her oar tightly, gesticulating with it as she addressed him, "Houshi-sama, didn't Sango-sama hit you hard enough the last time?"

            "Houshi-sama has always been miraculously thick-headed," Kaede intoned in a perfectly serious voice, but Kurama caught the glint of positively wicked amusement in her eye as she looked at the monk again.  "And I'm afraid he may have built up a tolerance to Sango-sama's brand of punishment."

            Botan instantly looked ill at ease and shoved Yuusuke a few steps in front of her protectively, dragging a few more curses from the man as he caught his balance and snapped back at her, "Will you _stop_ pushing me?  Gods, woman-!"

            A snicker in the darkness turned into a full blown laughter that disturbingly was echoed by the old woman standing behind them, neither caring about the stunned looks they were receiving until the mirth died down to a workable level and Kaede made a dismissive gesture, "It seems that there is always one, does it not, Houshi-sama?"

            "Indeed," he let out a delighted sigh and shook his head.

            "I'm getting damn tired of this," Yuusuke growled out irritably, pointing into the shadows as he challenged.  "You!  I don't care if you _are_ a god, if you don't get your ass out here and face us like a man, I ain't gonna hold back!"

            "Striking parallels," the monk clucked his tongue, but made no sign to move as his voice lost that playful edge and turned somber.  "Impatience is the practice of youth and fools, Urameshi Yuusuke.  Do you really want to prove yourself either one?"

            Kurama held up his hand to stop him before his temper got the better of him and he ended up actually pissing off this god who held their answers, "What did you mean when you said you wanted to test our intentions?"

            "Hm," the soft sound would have been lost on any other creature, those lips curving up in the barest smirk as a gleam chased across the hidden eyes and winked off something that had Kurama's eyes narrowed trying to decipher.  "I have been watching you."

            "That's obvious," Yuusuke snorted.

            "Sesshoumaru is not a youkai you wish to make an enemy of," he continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.  "After all… he has not changed so very much since I last crossed paths with him."

            _They're all from the same era_, Hiei's jaw tightened.  _This has to be the most organized fucking secret I've ever seen if they have synchronized it through two worlds_.

            '_Maybe three_,' Youko murmured thoughtfully.  '_We haven't done any real digging in the Makai, but Musou's presence and that Midoriko seem to suggest there could be a branch of these people there._'

            "And why would a god be curious over such a small meeting?" Kurama prodded when the monk's words faded away.  A shrewd gleam entered his own eyes as he tilted his head and accused, "Then again… how would you have known of it in the first place?"

            "And why the hell won't you come out where we can see you?" Yuusuke cut in, glaring right back at Kurama when the kitsune turned a disapproving look on him for the outburst.  "What?!  All this cloak and dagger shit is getting old, Kurama, and how do we even know he's telling the truth?  He's probably not even who he says he is!  Just some little youkai underling freak who decided to have some fun by screwing with our heads and got his friends in on it!"

            "Please!" that shadowed figure lifted his right hand to press over his heart in a gesture of affront as the light slowly expanded to reveal the handsome, youthful face set into an expression of what could only be called devious amusement, taunting their frustration with his narrowed gaze.

            _That's… impossible! _Kurama's lips parted, eyes flashing with recognition as they locked with deep, violet eyes for a moment before the man watching them finished his protest.

            "I _am_ a god."


	30. The Absence of Logic

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -holds up hands in a placating gesture- Ah, heh… I've had a few emails of confusion that I can clarify here regarding one or two things.  One being the reference to the "shogun" that Naraku devoured. To be honest, I don't watch the dub mainly because it makes me cry, so I don't know how they address that, but, Naraku stole his current body from the young lord of the manor where the taijiya were killed and Kohaku was possessed.  He doesn't really have "his own" face, he just picks bodies he likes. 

–unhappy sigh- The dub also nearly destroys Miroku's character, and if you've seen the original Japanese version, you understand what I'm talking about.  He's much deeper than he's made out to be in the dub, but he's a character of nuances, speech patterns, and all sorts of teensy little things that make him awesome but don't translate accurately into English.

As for why Kagome reacted to the name "Reiko," it's actually a teensy little thing from an actual legend.  Reiko was a Japanese hero who was most renowned for his encounters with giant spiders, and no, not the normal kind, the legend is basically that he liberated the country of mountain spiders, who were an evil, terrorizing race of youkai.  Hence… the irony. .  -giggles-

And I must take my moment to shower love and adoration upon all my readers, junkies, reviewers, and various chat buddies.  You're completely fabulous and you make all those times Kazusa sits on me and screams to write worth it.  -sweatdrop-  Seriously, I really do look forward to hearing what about the story you're enjoying, and hearing your speculations for the future. –grin-  We'll just have to see if you're right as it comes around. –bows and blows prodigious kisses-

By Any Other Name 

The Absence of Logic

            "Shinju?!" Yuusuke's stunned yell echoed uncomfortably loud off the walls of the room, drawing a wince and a glare from Hiei that went completely ignored as he took a step forward and pointed an accusing figure and the unmoved monk.  "You little shit!  How did you get here, and what the hell are you playing at?"

            Kurama's eyes had narrowed after his own initial shock had passed, unaware of the way his spine had gone perfectly straight as instinct kicked in and had him studying every inch of the proclaimed god who seemed content to stand there while Yuusuke screamed insults his way, "No… not Shinju…"  _It's his eyes… This man's eyes aren't blue like Shinju, they're violet, and his features are sharper, more cleanly defined.  Shinju is still a boy, but this is a man grown._

            '_This is proof,_' Youko corrected smugly.  '_It's the verification we were looking for.  The only explanation for such an extreme resemblance is that Shinju is a direct descendant of this monk… but his eyes are identical to Kagome's_.  _And that means it _had_ to be one of her prior incarnations that created the line with "Houshi-sama._"  _Her soul must have belonged to the other wife that was killed_.'

            "Correct," he dipped his head in a single nod of mocking agreement to the Kurama's negation of the words.  "I am not Shinju-chan."

            "But he's one of yours, isn't he?" Kurama arched an eyebrow, silently daring him to deny that association.

            "He is one of many descendants, yes," the smile on the monk's face turned perfectly smug, almost dreamy as his lashes lowered to shield glowing, introspective eyes.  "Shinju traces a pure line back to Kazenatsu… my first son, and the first child given to our family by my beautiful second wife."

            '_That was more forthcoming than I expected him to be_,' Youko frowned slightly, trying to puzzle out just why he had offered so much information.  '_Be careful, Hiei, he isn't finished playing with us yet._'

            _I never would have guessed,_ Hiei clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword, dying to kick the kitsune for thinking he couldn't come up with that on his own, but unwilling to take his eyes off the calm monk reminiscing in front of them.

            "The resemblance is striking," Kurama inserted a note of respect into that remark, easily reading the pride and affection this particular descendant was regarded with.

            "He is beautiful, isn't he?  Just as powerful as any monk born before the lines around the world diluted and humans ceased believing in their own magic," he sighed happily, lifting his hand up and pressing his lips briefly to his curled forefinger in a show of silent respect for something they didn't understand.  But then, the glove and rosary beads wrapped around his that hand and reminding them starkly of the way the cousins had adorned their arms in the taijiya outfits captured their full attention before they'd begun to consider the action.

            "Your descendants mimic you," Hiei looked pointed at that hand, not at all surprised by the way the monk's brows lifted innocently as he made a sound of realization.

            "Ahh, the glove and sealing beads?  Now that you mention it, I suppose I do recall seeing such things worn among my children," he reached up to trace his fingertips over the strand, the smile not quite reaching his eyes.  "Youth will show respect to the gods in the strangest of ways at times."

            '_And there he goes,_' Youko's eyes sparkled with amusement, grinning widely as he leaned forward in eager anticipation of verbally sparring with this god.  '_He's warming up to try and talk us in circles_.'

            _You get excited by the strangest things,_ Kurama mentally sighed, but secretly admitted he was just as eager as Youko to hear what the monk had to say to them.

            "That's shit and you know it," Yuusuke spat out and folded his arms over his chest, spreading his feet into a wider stance in a reflexive show of aggression that had amusement lighting in those deep violet eyes.  "What does it mean?"

            The expression seemed to freeze on the monk's face, perfectly mild and calm while his eyes glittered with something indecipherable for a long breath until he tilted his head to one side and remarked, "You are still very young, aren't you?  Perhaps… but no, such thoughts are inappropriate and would not accomplish a worthwhile end."

            Youko couldn't help but snicker to himself at the rage that crossed Yuusuke's face under that vague statement that proved he spoke just like he wrote when he needed to: purposefully teasing with hints of deeper knowledge and meaning without saying a single word that made sense.

            "Listen, you-!"

            "_Shinbatsu_," he chirped out with a perfectly charming smile, curling the gloved fingers into a loose fist in front of his mouth, but leaving his fore and middle fingers pointing up as he pressed them to his lips.

            "Wha-" Yuusuke had just started when a streak of black lightning abruptly ripped through the ceiling and slammed into him from above, completely obliterating him from view as Botan shrieked and darted back behind a perfectly unfazed Kaede.

            Kurama and Hiei blinked in surprise, watching in awe as that lightning vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving Yuusuke sprawled flat on his stomach and lightly smoldering while he twitched and groaned, _That… is highly impressive_.

            'That_ was a warning,_' Youko shook his head and glanced back at the monk still standing in that meditative pose, one eye peeking open and focusing on him pointedly.  '_And that is telling us he's most interested in talking to us specifically rather than as a group_.'

            _How do you know that?_ Hiei briefly wondered if he should kick at Yuusuke to check if he was dead, but decided against it when Kurama's focus on Houshi-sama became much more serious and direct.

            '_I told you, this guy is a conartist, pure and simple_,' Youko offered a disdainful sniff at repeating himself when he felt the youkai should have seen it for himself given his own history.  '_He speaks our language_.'

            _For your sake, I hope you are correct_, Hiei snorted and took a sliding step backwards to put Kurama in front of him, but still positioned himself to be ready if necessary.  _I am not in the mood to suffer a god-strike for the success of your sex life, no matter how bored I may find myself_.

            "Hachi tells me that you were a great thief once, Youko Kurama," his brows lifted, disturbingly making him look unassuming and curious, as though making small talk instead of interrogating the wary kitsune.  "A great thief who was not tempted by the stories of the Shikon-no-Tama…"

            _Hachi?_ Kurama's brow furrowed as he tried to place the name before Youko brushed it aside as unimportant.

            '_It's a distraction, don't follow it_,' he instructed patiently, making a vague dismissive gesture.  '_He wants us to tell him if his information is right, but he's fishing for reasons why we wouldn't go after the jewel at the same time_.'

            "I was more enchanted with stories of treasures hidden in China than in a single jewel that was only good for a shortcut to rumored power and fame," Kurama folded one arm up across his chest to absently curl his fingers over his own shoulder, unaware of the way his eyes rimmed with gold around the pupils as he allowed Youko to spill over and mingle with his consciousness for that answer.  "Only the weak and undisciplined would seek out an artifact to grant them more strength rather than gain it through more… natural methods."

            "Indeed," he flicked a hand, tucking his legs up beneath him and looking for all intents and purposes as though he'd just seated himself on air as he settled back comfortably.  "Such silly dreams, to chase something so very fragile beneath a legendary strength, only to find your prize taken out of your reach time and again by a greater force."

            '_That had better not be a double meaning about our lover_,' Youko twitched slightly inside their mind, humming with a new tension that set Kurama on edge as well.  '_I don't care who he was to her in her past lives, she's mine now_.'

            Hiei couldn't resist smiling and pointing out, _You're obviously thinking it does, so I'd say it's safe to guess he wants that on your mind_.  _I'm ready to admit you were right though, he makes it sound perfect, like an art_.

            '_Beautiful, isn't it?_' Youko grinned abruptly despite his lingering possessive irritation.  '_I haven't had a chance to cross wits with such worthy opponents in so long that I hardly know what to do with myself now that I have so many options to choose from_.'

            _Gods help me, you're having fun even when we're at a disadvantage_, Kurama wanted so badly to roll his eyes, but the monk's gaze had not once left him since he'd casually fried Yuusuke with that bolt.

            '_Don't be silly, Kurama, that's when it's the _most_ fun!_' Youko chirped out, his tail practically wagging as he sat back and crossed his legs in an elegant motion designed to annoy his other side even more.  '_Now stop ignoring Houshi-sama before he gets bored and takes it out of our ass unpleasantly_.  _I've never been fond of lightning_.'

            Kurama's lips pursed for a moment as he returned his thoughts to trying to decipher what the silent deity wanted from him before he sighed and offered honestly, "I earn my victories without relying on enhancements, but I don't allow any prize I have won to be taken from me without permission, regardless of the circumstances."

            He could have sworn he saw the monk's lips curve upward at the corners, but it came and went so rapidly it may have been a trick, "Pride before the fall."

            'That _was definitely directed at us_,' Youko frowned thoughtfully as he tried to puzzle that into place with the rest of the discussion, but too many pieces were still missing.  '_Damn… he's rearranging the pieces_-'

            _What the hell are you talking about?_ Hiei gave him a look that said he'd clearly lost his mind at last.

            Youko waved him off with a snort of annoyance at having his thoughts disrupted, '_Quiet.  I'm thinking_.  _We must be close to something important if he's stepping in to throw out such confusing remarks personally_.'

            "My family will not guide you to the jewel, Youko Kurama," the words were more candid than anything else he'd said, but still held a wealth of suggestion laced throughout what was just beneath them in the innuendos of his tone.  "If you are bringing yourself into association with my descendants for such a thing, you will find nothing but punishment awaits you and your friends."

            "Is that what you're afraid of?" Kurama arched and eyebrow, falling back into the same stance that had infuriated youkai for ages of his existence, relaxed and arms folded as he regarded the deceptively calm monk.  "That I'm hunting for the jewel through your descendants?"  _And your reborn wife?_

            Those violet eyes nearly closed, staying focused on him as though stripping away every last barrier around them to see straight to the soul and the words he didn't say, "Your attempt to take the precious treasures of my family will not end as you anticipate if you proceed in this manner.  My children will jealousy guard all things that belong to them even without my influence to guide them."

            "Funny that you would suggest such selfish qualities in children descended from a union involving two wives," Kurama couldn't resist pointing that out, carefully readied ki skating just below the surface of his skin at the chill that traced down his spine.  _Damn, he's good… I can't tell if he's talking about the jewel or if he's actually openly warning us about their relation to Kagome_.  "One would think you would have taught your bloodlines how to share their toys after your own experience."

            Now the smile was something that startled Youko to see on any creature that was not a pureblood kitsune, malicious and dark with an almost cruel twist of amusement that made his eyes flash before the entire expression returned to pious stoicism in the blink of an eye, "My wives were kept very dear to my hearts."

            '_In other words, he was a jealous bastard when he was alive and passed it along to his children_,' Youko snickered, squaring his shoulders and deciding it would be far safer to treat this person as he would another of his own kind after that display.  '_He would never have allowed another man close to his wives in such a way without his supervision_.'

            _You're reading too much into that,_ Kurama inwardly shook his head.  _That Sango-sama didn't appear the least bit restricted in the way you're suggesting_.

            '_There are different levels of jealousy and restriction, Kurama, don't be dense_,' Youko scolded.  '_Trust me on this, this is not a man who shared the affections of his wives amongst other men well if at all_.'

            _Then are you being warned away from the miko or is this still about the jewel?_ Hiei hated to admit it, but for some reason, he was having difficulties following along the careful words and hooded looks.  He had to fight against the urge to growl and shake his head under the strange disorientation that seemed to be trying to insinuate itself into his mind, eyeing the deity with more blatant caution, _He's doing something to the air in here…_

            '_He's creating confusion,_' Youko nodded in agreement, tilting their head to one side as they studied him another moment in silence, brows snapping low when a circular image seemed to flicker across his forehead.  But the symbol was gone so quickly it seemed nothing more than a trick of light and shadow, '_Dammit, what if he's a chaos god?  I'm not sure I can win against him in a verbal match if he is_…'

            Kurama's brows lifted, unable to stop his show of surprise at the fact that Youko had so easily admitted to a potential failure without sounding upset at all, _Youko-_?

            Youko snorted and let out a soft chuckle, sliding his arms around their soul again to comfort his anxiety, '_Baka.  Even I know there are some fights I can't win, but having them be against a worthy opponent such as a god is not a shameful thing.  It's enough for our pride to be considered on equal footing to even challenge a higher being after all_.'

            Now Hiei did roll his eyes at hearing the kitsune so unashamedly compare himself to a deity, _If your ego grows any larger, you'll start suffocating every creature living and _un_living for a thirty mile radius_.

            '_Jealousy of our confidence will not win you any favors for the future, hybrid_,' Youko turned up his nose.

            Kurama decided to step in before the discussion in his head could degenerate any further, clearing his throat and lifting his hand to slide through his hair in a lazy gesture of his own arrogance, "Why are you behaving in such a secretive manner towards a history that should be common knowledge?"

            "If it should be common knowledge, Youko Kurama, why are you not more familiar with the events that occurred within your own lifespan?" he returned with that same simply questioning look, but his eyes were sparkling with mirth.  "The legend did not begin to fade into obscurity until the barriers were created to split our realm into the three levels that are maintained now.  You have had… ample opportunity to ask your questions of the creatures who lived through our nightmare firsthand."

            _Censure_, Kurama set his jaw, perfectly able to translate that without Youko's help.

            '_No shit_.'

            _You should have expected it, Fox,_ Hiei reminded him.  _You _are_ fond of reminding me how very old you are, and he's right, this is all from a time you were already making your reputation.  Unlike the rest of us_.

            '_Shut up, Hiei_.'

            "Life does not carry so many difficulties if one doesn't go looking for troubles that have nothing to do with his own battles," Kurama offered the shrug as Youko settled in to watch for any clues as to what way to take the conversation.

            "Strange words to come from the most notorious thief within the circles of Makai."

            "Near death serves a harsh lesson," Kurama dipped his head to show he felt that remark well aimed.  "I separated my soul from a body to escape that fate once, I'm not entirely certain how successful it would be if I were foolish enough to be forced to do so again."

            Botan and Hiei turned startled looks on the kitsune to hear him speaking so openly about that part of his past, but stayed out the conversation respectfully at the way the two men seemed to be ignoring them in favor sizing each other up with a sort of sophisticated aggression.  Hiei found it strangely entertaining, shaking off the impression that Kurama had finally located a kindred soul in this bizarre god, as both seemed to revel and shine in the confrontation with its careful non-information and seeking questions.

            Finally he couldn't resist taunting lightly, _Perhaps this "Houshi-sama" is a patron god to your kind, Fox_.

            Youko let out a startled laugh at the suggestion, shaking his head and grinning internally, '_Cute, but no.  If he _were_ a kitsune deity or patron, I would know him.  We have our ways of keeping up to date on who not to piss off in the higher levels_.'

            Hiei blinked in mild surprise at that casual answer, making a mental note to tie the damn kitsune down once they were out of these ridiculous confrontations and get a few answers about just what made him tick before he ended up on the other end of that instructive tone one more time.  It was just damned creepy to have a youkai who'd spent the better part of their friendship trying to instigate an intimate relationship with him sounding so educated as he dropped out obscure bits of such impressive information.

            There were just some times that he wasn't sure he understood Kurama as well as he thought he did, and for some reason, that thought bothered him.

            But only a little.

            "Ah, so that's how your avatar was created," the monk folded his hands into the sleeves of his kimono, tilting his head as he seemed to ponder over a thought before bringing one hand free with an ofuda held between two fingers.  "But I am more interested in seeing your soul."

            Kurama fell back a step, eyes widening in alarm when he felt the wave of holy magic radiating off that innocent looking paper, "What are-!?"

            A flick of his hand had the ofuda streaking across the space separating them faster than even Hiei's eyes could follow, connecting with Kurama's chest and filling the hall with the near deafening sound of magic crackling over his body as it expanded and wound tightly around his limbs.  Under their alarmed gazes, the kitsune threw back his head, eyes clenched shut and teeth bared as his body began to stretch and change, ears elongating and color leeching from his hair rapidly until the human body had been completely overtaken by Youko's original form.

            Kurama fell to his knees, bracing the fall on his hands and gasping deep gulps of air into his lungs as his muscles shuddered and protested the forced speed of the transformation, energy fighting to restore itself to a battle-ready level while one golden eye opened to focus on the smirking monk, "You…"

            "Well, well… this _is_ a surprise," he interrupted, tucking his hands calmly back into his sleeves and leaning back as he regarded the kitsune with a critical eye.  "Youko Kurama is a silver spirit?  How very delightful."

            '_Fucking gods, I don't want to feel that shit again_,' Youko shivered as the last of the holy energy retracted back into the ofuda and burned the paper away as though it had never been.  '_This bastard wasn't an ordinary monk_.'

            _Kurama?_ Hiei took a step forward, scowling at the amused look that crossed the deity's face as the kitsune pushed himself back on his haunches, keeping one palm on the floor for balance and crossing the other to rest over his thigh as he regained his breath and bearings.  _Kurama, are you all right?_

            _Knocked the wind out of us, but we're all right_, Kurama assured him in a subdued voice.  _I've never felt any holy magic like that… it was…_

            '_Incredible_.'

            "Koenma will be asking for you," his expression changed abruptly back to that harmless, charming smile, gesturing towards the wall at his side with his head as a door opened to reveal the outer chamber leading to the prince's offices.  "One can only dally for so long after all."

            "You're dismissing us?" Hiei rounded on him with a scowl.  _What the hell?  What was the point of this meeting?!_

            _Us,_ Kurama gritted out, forcing himself to rise and frowning at his body.  _He wanted to meet us, and now he has_.  _He's accomplished what he wanted for now and he intends to plan again before we confront him further_.

            "I am a god," he reminded again with a nod before he let out a wistful sigh and lowered his legs to stand once more.  "As such I am quite busy, and there are duties that must be attended to.  As well as your own duties," he gestured to Botan and gave her a wink that had her gripping the oar more firmly again.  "Now then, Botan!  Would you do me the honor-?"

            The monk was suddenly laid out flat on the ground, Sango standing over him with a fist clenched and eyebrow twitching as she growled out, "I should have known."

            "My beautiful Sango!  How could you be so cruel to your weak and handsome husband?" he whined out, coming to his feet in a fluid motion and taking both her hands in his as he pulled her in closer when to their stunned amazement, one of his hands moved down and firmly squeezed her backside.

            That earned him a ringing slap that had them reflexively wincing as Sango dusted off her hands in exasperation before she looked up at the blank confusion on their faces and gestured over her shoulder to offer the explanation, "That worthless excuse for a caretaker is starting to get antsy.  You'd best head that way before he panics and causes any more trouble than he already has."

            _Did he just-?_ Kurama blinked as his mind tried to process the little scene they had just witnessed.

            '_He groped her,_' Youko snickered and shook his head, amusement restored and feeling his own discomfort had been retaliated.  '_So that's what they meant_ _about Shinju's hand problem_.'

            _Some monk_, Hiei snorted, stepping back from the infuriated woman and keeping his eyes on both gods as Botan managed to get Yuusuke onto the oar and hurried out of the chamber, casting a quick look back to be sure they were following.

            "What about this?" Kurama gestured to his body with a slight frown while Youko tried to urge him to keep it just to see Koenma's reaction to him sauntering into his office.

            Sango made a face, folding her arms over her chest, "Your change isn't a permanent one.  That human body will be restored once you leave our hall, won't it, Houshi-sama?"

            "Of course, Sango!" he looked offended that she would suggest he would do anything so underhanded as trap the kitsune in his original form, but the look he slanted Kurama over her head when she wasn't looking suggested he had indeed been thinking of doing just that.

            "Please accept my apologies for my husband's behavior if he offended you," Sango brought her elbow into his stomach before his hand could reach its destination a second time when he came to stand behind her, smiling at the satisfying "oomph" that escaped him.  "And good luck on your mission."

            "Thank you, Sango-sama," Kurama offered her a deep bow, smiling at the pleased surprise on her face and mentally urging Hiei to follow him out on that note.  He recognized the dismissal in her words, and showing a good faith gesture without argument now would likely bring their second meeting much sooner than later.

            _He hasn't answered all our questions,_ Hiei remarked sourly as they passed the archway and Kurama's body rippled and shrunk back down just as promised, this time without a hint of pain or weakness.

            _And he won't right now,_ Kurama patted down their body to check for any lingering effects of the transformation with a snort of wry amusement.  _That bastard.  He gave us that taste of his power on purpose_.

            '_You expected anything less?_' Youko chuckled, stretching out languidly in their soul with a pleased smile.  '_I think that went well, don't you?_'

            Hiei just rolled his eyes, absently wondering at his own sanity for being involved with these people as they obediently followed Botan to their next "crisis" meeting with the high-strung caretaker of Reikai. 

Blissfully unaware of the eyes that continued to watch until they were out of sight before the doorway to the Hall of Records slid closed and left the trio within smiling with varying degrees of pleased satisfaction.

            Miroku slid his arms around Sango's waist from behind and pressed a kiss to her cheek with a quiet chuckle, "Your timing is as impeccable as ever, dear Sango."

            She leaned back to give him an arch look, "You ever doubted?"

            "Of course not, my beautiful wife," he sighed dreamily and rubbed his cheek against her hair before a wicked smile crossed his lips.  "And it seems our little Kagome has finally re-emerged."

            "Shame on you for using them to pinpoint her," Sango shook her head and pushed out of his arms, clasping her hands behind her back to offer Kaede a bow and a smile.  "What did you think of them, Kaede-sama?  Should we agree to Miroku's ridiculous plans this time?"

            Kaede chuckled and walked back over to the table to watch Kanna write, resting her hand on the former youkai's head with motherly affection before she answered, "I am willing to trust his judgment in this matter.  Houshi-sama's love for her prevents him from involving her in a matter that would prove unpleasant."

            "I have only Kagome-sama's best interests at heart at all times," he pressed his hand over his own heart, expression somber in a gesture of true sincerity.

            Sango smiled gently, reaching up to cup his cheek and bring him down for a soft kiss as she shook her head and looked back at the blank wall, "In any other circumstances I would be suspicious, but… Kaede-sama's correct."

            Miroku's brows rose, "Sango!  I'm hurt to think that you would doubt my intentions!"

            She tilted her head and drawled out meaningfully, "Said _the_ God of deception."

            Kaede and Sango shared a chuckle at the affront on his face, "Please!  I am but a humble servant of Buddha-"

            "That stopped working when you died, Houshi-sama," Sango patted him on the head, but sighed and looked wistfully towards the mirror hidden behind the concealing mists.  "But… I also believe Kagome-chan deserves all the happiness we can give her after being taken away from us."

            Miroku smiled, "Then you're in agreement?"

            "I'm in agreement."

:………:

            Kagome rolled her eyes as she slid across the kitchen floor carelessly on her socks, sticking her tongue out towards the living room where she could hear Souta laughing over Shippou's running commentary of the video they were watching. He was enjoying watching her earliest attempts at being trained a little too much for her to not feel the need to be there to clock him over the head for his taunting remarks, and highly suspected it was the reason they'd ganged up and voted her to be the one to answer the insistent ringing.

She sighed and reached for the trilling phone with a soft, disparaging mutter, "It's not fair that I have to be the one to get the phone just because I was there, Shippou was too.  Boys, honestly…  Moshi moshi?"

            "Ah! Kagome-chan?  Kagome-chan, is that you?"

            Kagome jerked the phone to arm's length at the volume of that girlish shriek coming through the receiver, wincing as she rubbed her ringing ear and tried to place the voice echoing in rapid-fire tones through the plastic, _What in the world?_

            "Eri?" Kagome blinked in surprise, bringing it back to a workable distance and frowning in confusion as she spoke louder.  "Eri-chan?  How did you get this number?"

            "_You_ should have given it to me, Kagome-chan!" Eri protested in a loud whine on the other end, proving she had guessed her old classmate's voice correctly.  "Just like you should have called me first!  Good gods, do you know how embarrassing it was to have to hear it from Arimi-chan, and she heard it from Aiko-chan, and she says she heard it from-"

            "Whoa, Eri-chan, stop!  Breathe!" Kagome urged in confusion, leaning back against the counter with a frown as she shifted the phone to her other hand and brought it a little closer to her ear.  "What on earth are you talking about?  Told you what?"

            "Hojou-kun told me you were back in town, and we were going to get together to visit you once we all had a day off, but then I got that call from Arimi-chan," she was speaking so quickly Kagome had to frown and walk deeper into the kitchen to filter out the noise from the living room.  "How could you?  Mou, Kagome-chan, I thought we were your best friends and you didn't even tell us!  We could have-"

            "Wait, Eri-chan, _what_ didn't I tell you?" Kagome cut her off before she could start rambling again.  "What are you talking about?"

            "Kagomeeee!  You're still being evasive!" Eri's voice had her yanking the phone away again and staring at it like it had come alive and turned into a poisonous thing.  "Why didn't you tell us that you were in a relationship with Minamino-sempai!?"

            Kagome's mind blanked, eyes going up to the ceiling as she mentally went back over all her acquaintances to figure out what the easily excited girl could possibly be talking about, "Who?"  _Dear gods, don't let this be another matchmaking disaster…_

            The shriek that single, distracted word brought out was almost enough to convince her to fling the phone to the furthest corner of the kitchen before her ears suffered permanent damage, but she caught herself at the last second and tried to filter out anything useful in that whining lament rising from the receiver.  To her utter relief, it finally seemed to wind down into actual words again, "Don't be dense, Kagome-chan!  Being sick doesn't give you an excuse to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!  We talked about him all the time when we started high school before you had to leave for your treatments, don't you remember?"

            "No, I don't.  I _don't_ know what you're talking about," Kagome remarked dryly, regretting it when Eri wailed again.  "Mou!  Eri-chan, calm down!  You're acting like the world is coming to an end."

            Eri continued as if Kagome hadn't spoken, "Acting like I wouldn't know the name of Minamino-sempai, honestly, Kagome-chan!  His scores are _only_ practically legendary in the district, and not just that but he's _gorgeous!_  How could you keep this to yourself?"

            _Legendary scores?_ Kagome felt her eyebrow kick up in amusement at that description, lips twitching against the urge to start laughing.  _The future has such ridiculous things to be proud over_, she shook her head and tried to think back to the rumors in high school, brow furrowed as the name finally seemed to tweak some vague memory through the other, infinitely more important concerns she'd been having at the time.  _Okay, so maybe I have heard of him.  That was a long time ago though, what was it about-?_

            "And you can't deny it, because there are witnesses!" she could just see the girl pointing accusingly even over the phone. 

            The smile faded and Kagome's brows lowered suspiciously, "Witnesses?"  _What the hell?  Is this-?_

            "Oh please… You weren't even trying to hide it," Eri snorted in annoyance.  "Arimi-chan said that Aiko-chan said-"

            "Nevermind all that, Eri-chan, just tell me _what_ they said," Kagome made an impatient gesture with her hand.

            "You were practically making out with Minamino-sempai in a restaurant this morning.  In full public view, Kagome-chan, how shameless!" Eri squealed out, daring her to deny that bold statement with the edge in her voice.

            Kagome let out a groan and smacked her hand over her eyes as that remark processed, very clearly snapping her attention to the only person "Minamino-sempai" could possibly be, "Oh damn."

            "Don't you 'oh damn' me, Kagome-chan," Eri scolded, but now it was clear the girl was feeling triumphant.  "Admit it!  You finally dumped that guy and went after Minamino-sempai."

            "Eri-chan, are you absolutely _sure_ they said it was Minamino?" Kagome prodded, trying to buy herself time to come up with an excuse, or at least remember what his first name had been since the girl thought the relationship was on a more serious level, and denying that after the scene they'd made would admittedly be in poor taste.  _Can't exactly come out and say he's really a youkai and he hasn't gotten around to telling me his other name_… That and the human girl wouldn't understand there was a great deal more intimacy in knowing _that_ name over the one he'd assumed to fit in.

            Eri made a disgusted sound, "Right… because it's so easy to mistake _the_ Minamino Shuuichi with _anyone _else.  C'mon, Kagome-chan, do you think we're stupid?  Mayako-chan was part of his fanclub for five years straight, she wouldn't make that kind of mistake."

            "Fan…club…?" no doubt about it, there was definitely a laugh just dying to break free of her control and shake the house on its foundations at that little gem of information.  _Oh gods… a fanclub!  Oh this is going to be good_.

            "How many boys with that color hair are in Japan, Kagome-chan?" Eri scolded in frustration.  "And _no one_ could possibly be as pretty as Minamino-sempai!  I'll forgive you for not thinking about his scores because you were so sick and missed so often, but you _have_ to tell me everything now!  How did you meet?  When did you meet?!  How did you two start dating?  Is it serious?"  A pause, a shriek, and then the high-pitched demand was ringing through the phone, "Kagome-chan!  Are you pregnant?"

            Kagome dropped the phone.

            "Kagome-chan?  Kagome-chan!  Moshi moshi?!"

            Gritting her teeth, she scooped it up and hissed out, "Good _gods_, Eri-chan, just because I was kissing him, it doesn't automatically mean I'm pregnant!  What are we in high school still?!"

            Eri let out a triumphant shout, "Ah HA!  Then you _are _dating!  It's serious, ne, ne?  Mayako-chan said it was really_ hot_-"

            "_ERI-CHAN!_" Kagome felt her cheeks heat, silently vowing to make a certain incorrigible kitsune pay dearly for failing to prepare her for this particular conversation.  He was going to take full responsibility for her embarrassment, or she was going to go back on her word and let Sesshoumaru at him for real.

            "Well that's what she said," she pouted over the phone.  "What number is this anyway?  Ooooh, is this Minamino's number?  Did I interrupt something?"

            She bit her tongue against a less than pleasant response at the eager note that had entered her friend's voice, letting out a defeated sigh and forcing herself to answer rather than hang up, "This is _my_ home phone number, Eri-chan.  Ku- Shuuichi-kun is away on business, and I'm having a night in with my brother and the rest of the family.  Didn't my mother tell you I took a job with another temple for training?"

            "Ah, now that you mention it, I think she did," Eri hummed thoughtfully before perking up to chirp out again.  "So… details?"

            "I'm hanging up on you, Eri-chan," Kagome gritted out.

            "Ah, ah… I see," Eri purred out slyly.  "That's how it is.  Did you two just decide to get more serious-?"

            Kagome disconnected the call with a muttered curse, setting the phone carefully on the counter before she gave into the urge to fling it out the window in frustration.  Annoyed, she reached up into her hair and poked at the sleeping rose, "Tell him I'm going to kill him again when he gets back for this."

            The rose grunted and wound a vine around her finger, pressing another of its odd "kisses" against it before letting her go, patting her on the head, and going back to sleep, completely unimpressed and unconcerned with her temper as it left her silently fuming over the apparent infamy of her tenacious kitsune "lover" in human society.

            Blowing out a heavy sigh, Kagome forced it out of her mind and turned to rejoin her family, determined to put him out of her mind as long as she could with pleasant memories of the past.

            Night just came too quickly sometimes, and with it all the whisperings and fantasies that she managed to push away in the light of day…

            _Then again_, Kagome's mind whispered rebelliously despite her efforts to silence it, _it's gone too quickly as well_.

            But if any of the boys noticed the blush staining her cheeks from those lingering thoughts when she stiffly rejoined them on the floor in front of the television, then wisely gave no sign.


	31. And the Clock Went Bang

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Hn… -taps finger to lips-  I'm getting a lot of questions about how long I intend for this fic to be, and I have to say I honestly have no idea.  –shrugs helplessly-  In all truth, I intended it to be a short story that bordered on PWP, but once it started, the plot got in the way of that, and I'm having fun writing it.  TECHNICALLY, I could shorten it, but I have a nagging worry that if I tried that, it would feel rushed and rough.  I don't want to do that, but that might just be the plot-snob in me talking.  –rubs head-  I don't think it'll go over 50, but I have to see how the characters whine at me over the next little arc. 

And before I get carried way, Rosie was sad that she was leaving me very long reviews for such a long time without hearing a thank you, so… -bow- Thank you very much for the entertaining, lengthy reviews on such a consistent basis.  And to Litchick for suffering the late night ramblings and plotting that randomly bounce about in my head and demand to be shared.

As for all my other fabulous and lovely reviewers and junkies, I simply cannot adequately express how much I enjoy reading what you leave for me.  It's the most fun to hear what others are thinking of my story, and hearing that so many people are having a good time with it is so flattering!  You're wonderful and I absolutely adore you all, but I know it's the story you're coming to read, so enjoy!  .  -much bowing and blowing of kisses-

By Any Other Name 

And the Clock Went Bang

            Kagome let an indulgent smile pass her lips when her young students let out a delighted squeal at the end of classes, some darting up to hug her legs before scampering off to their waiting parents and guardians while her more reserved students hung back to offer shier bows and smiles before reluctantly taking their own leave.  In true form, however, the Urameshi boys had tackled her as soon as class ended, hanging off her carelessly as their mother amicably chatted with the youkai and hanyou women waiting for their own children to collect jackets and shoes.

            "This is so much cooler than school," Ryou grinned widely, swinging himself on her arm and drawing her eyes down from the amused looks of more than one youkai at the exuberant pair who'd attached themselves to her.  "Ne, ne?  Sensei!  We're getting better, aren't we?"

            Kagome blinked and looked down at the hopeful brown eyes turned up on her as he dangled off her arm, smiling warmly before she lowered it carefully to put his feet on the ground and patted his head, "Yes, you've gotten better, Ryou-chan.  You're some of my fastest learners."

            If his chest puffed out any more she was certain he would be in danger of hurting himself, and Toushi was right there with him, giving her a blinding smile that showed all his teeth as he locked his arms around her knee and leaned back to look up at her, "Tou-san's gonna be surprised, won't he?"

            Chuckling, Kagome nodded and caught Keiko's eye as the woman finished her conversation with Shiori and started towards them, returning the bat hanyou's affectionate wave before turning all her focus to the human they'd invited into their house three weeks ago, "Right on time as always, Keiko-san."

            "You're always so formal," Keiko laughed brightly, reaching out to catch the two excitable boys with an "oomph" of exertion, swinging Toushi up in her arms to set him on her hip before setting her hand on Ryou's head in a silent show of approval.  "You're practically family, Kagome, you don't have to speak so seriously."

            "Yeah, yeah!" Toushi started nodding enthusiastically before she could answer, pointing a finger at her with the complete confidence of a young child.  "You should spend more time with us, Sensei, we're the best."

            "That would be their father talking," Keiko rolled her eyes at the smug preening of her boys, but Kagome could see the deep love in the smile she turned down on them, fighting down a pang of nostalgic envy.

            _Would Kazenatsu and Kyuuei have looked at me with such devotion as they grew older?_ Kagome breathed out a deep sigh, her eyes finding Shinju as the young monk spoke easily with the parents who came to his temple so frequently now in their new routine.  _Is this how it should have been?  …Is this my punishment?_

            Shinju turned as though he'd felt the weight of her gaze, brows lifted in question when he saw the odd look on her face and tilting his head as he silently asked if she needed to take some time with him privately.

            Kagome lifted a hand in a quick, dismissive gesture as she smiled and shook her head to show she was just having a strange moment before turning her attention back to Keiko's worried expression, "Sorry.  What did you say?"

            "Are you all right, Kagome?" Keiko's brows furrowed slightly. 

            She dipped her head in a quick nod, letting her eyes habitually scan the hall to distract herself and taking in the sight of Shippou guiding the older students through a few more complicated katas before leading them into the closing exercises.  Sighing when she caught a few subtle motions that weren't part of the lesson, she made a mental note to keep him from getting creative with the traditional style in his instructions, "I've just been a little unsettled lately."  _Dreams… bad and good, but always there_.  _I can't remember the last time I'd had such difficulty sleeping, but in the past I was never alone at night.  Could that be why?_

            "Kurama and the others will probably return soon," she offered, lifting her free hand to hide her giggle when Kagome's eyes snapped back around to her at the mention of that particular name, wide and full of confused questions.  "What?  You miss him, don't you?"

            "_Miss_ him?" Kagome stammered out, absently reaching up to touch the vine wrapped snugly around her neck.  _That's not right!  I'm not like this because I miss him… am I?_  She shook her head quickly, but from the sly smile on the other woman's face, she had a feeling it was a little _too_ quick, _Damn him to hell, even when he's gone he's making me space out like an idiot and causing embarrassment_.

            Keiko patted her comfortingly on the arm, giving her another smile, "Botan promised me that it's a simple mission, but they're having some difficulty finding out what… ah, their boss wants to know.  They'll come back, pissy and tired, but probably soon.  Yuusuke throws a fit when it goes longer than an hour, and by now he's likely ready to take off heads."

            _I'd almost swear he's from a branch of Inuyasha's family_, she bit her lip against the urge to voice that thought, readjusting her grip on her shakujou to lean her head on the smooth wood and sigh heavily.  "I don't know Kurama will enough to miss him," she tried to make that protest sound convincing, but her eyes had taken on a faraway look that had the woman clucking her tongue.

            "Mmm… and you pet that rose constantly for your health," Keiko arched an eyebrow, outright laughing at the startled look on Kagome's face.  "What?  Didn't notice?  You don't even try to hide that you do."  _Or she really _didn't_ realize how often she's touching it and staring out the window with that soft expression_, Keiko wanted to giggle at the rising blush on the younger girl's face.  _It's even cuter that she's denying she likes him, but at least she's not furious about him being gone such a long time_.  _But then… that might just mean she doesn't care enough about what he's doing?  Drat, why do I have to second-guess myself?_

            Kagome had to make a conscious effort to pull her fingers away from doing exactly what she'd been accused of, clearing her throat and smoothing a hand down the front of her gi in a nervous gesture, "I-"

            "You have a crush on Kurama-nii-san?" Ryou tilted his head and looked up at her with a smug grin he'd definitely gained from his father's side as he instantly started looking for a way to work that to piece of information to his advantage.  "Reeeally?"

            She had a hard time holding in her laughter at the gleam in his eye, bending down to poke him on the nose, "Shinju-sensei would say that _you_, Ryou-chan, have been infected with kitsune to take on that tone of voice."

            "That can happen?" both boys shared a startled look, pondering if that would be a good or a bad thing, and just how one would catch such a disease in the first place.  "Is it serious?"

            "In some rare cases, it has been shown to be lethal!" Shinju's voice interrupted before either woman could reassure the boys of the joke as the monk joined the little grouping, making an overly dramatic perusal around the room as though checking for eavesdroppers before he lifted a hand to hide his mouth and stage-whispered to them.  "I used to have a brother-"

            Shinju ended up sprawled flat on the floor, Shippou standing over him with one fist clenched and a rather annoyed expression on his face, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop spreading lies like that, bouzu?"

            He was back up on his feet looking perfectly unruffled by the impromptu trip and pasting on an expression of complete innocence as he announced in a surprised voice, "Shippou!  Whatever brings you to this side of the dojo?"

            Arms slid around Kagome's waist from behind, giving her a tug back as she heard the kitsune let out a disgusted snort, "I heard the sound of two boys plotting, so spill it, Nee-san.  You wouldn't be hiding something interesting from your favorite brother would you?"

            "It disturbs me that you word it like that," Kagome rolled her eyes, reaching back to swat him on the head as she sighed and noted the way Keiko was hiding a giggle while the boys openly laughed at the "usual" antics they had come to look forward to seeing amongst the close-knit family.  "And it's nothing."

            "Sensei was thinking about Kurama-nii-san," Ryou casually informed the interested kitsune, folding his arms over his chest and cocking out his hip in a perfect imitation of his father's favorite stance when he saw one brow arch up in silent question.  "We think she should come over and wait with us, 'cause they always come home first."

            Toushi instantly caught onto the logic, nodding vigorously as he helped his brother think of ways to get their favorite instructor over for an evening to break up the boredom and hopefully push back bedtime, "Yeah, yeah!  If you're with us, you'll see him faster and you won't have to miss him as much!"

            Kagome covered her eyes when she heard the snickering around her from the straggling youkai, well aware that most of them had decided to be entertained by the mess she found herself in while the kitsune wasn't in the immediate vicinity.  Even more when they noted how amusing the two mostly human boys were in their efforts to monopolize her time while her own family was just as single-minded, often causing an interesting tug-of-war during their visits to the temple classes.  She was half tempted to flare up just to stop them, but that wasn't allowed in front of the oblivious Urameshis, and she just didn't have the desire to use that kind of intimidation tactic on her family even if it had been.

            "Sorry, runt, but 'Sensei' has plans already for tonight with Big Dog," Shippou winked at the pair, hiding his own smile when they looked crestfallen.  "Maybe another night."

            "Aw… that sucks," Ryou pouted, stuffing his hands down into his pockets.

            "Ryou, what have I told you about using that kind of language in a temple?" Keiko scolded him softly.

            "Well it does," he shrugged, retreating into a more surly pout and making her offer up an apologetic smile for his behavior.

            "I'm so sorry-"

            "It's all right, Keiko-san," Kagome laughed, reaching down for a moment to ruffle the boy's hair and draw a smile out of him with a faint nudge of ki.  "He's at an age, but he'll settle soon enough."  _Or not… depending on how much they resemble their father_, she couldn't resist giggling privately to herself.

            Shinju took that moment to slide in between them, drawing Keiko into a discussion over her sons' progress while Shippou gently tugged her away from them before he whispered in her ear, "Did you forget?  Sesshoumaru needs to see you tonight, and you told him you'd take him to meet your mother.  He's curious about seeing this side of things."

            Kagome frowned slightly, nodding as she automatically moved back to the main area of the temple's dojo and began to gather up the stacked mats and training bokken while keeping the discussion low to avoid eavesdroppers, "I guess it has been a little too long… is he already home then?  I thought he was still in Osaka on business?"

            Shippou glanced over his shoulder, waiting until Shinju had ushered the last of their guests out towards the entrance before he took a more relaxed stance and smiled at her, "He's on the plane back now, but I thought you might want to have some more serious exercise before tonight."

            She slanted him a look over her shoulder as she crouched and lifted the stacked mats effortlessly to carry them back to their place against the wall, "Serious exercise?  Would this have something to do with you being secretive with Souta earlier?"

            He affected a hurt look, pressing his hand over his heart and making his eyes as big and liquid as possible, "Are you accusing me of something devious?"

            "You're a kitsune, you're naturally devious."

            "I'm pretty too," he winked at her shamelessly.

            "Good gods above," Kagome muttered under her breath, but she was still chuckling as she continued to straighten up.  "You're horrible, Shippou, but I'll bite.  What type of serious exercise should I be having?"

            Shippou puffed up his chest proudly the moment he had her full attention, eyes flashing back to their natural state and gleaming with excitement as he drawled out suggestively, "There's this park…"

:………:

            "I don't give half a flaming, fucking damn, Koenma, whatever was opening those portals just ain't there anymore!" Yuusuke slammed his hands down on the desk, taking advantage of his seated position to loom over the agitated ruler.  "Either it couldn't get through, found out what it wanted, or it _did_ get through and we should be back _home _looking for it!  It's ridiculous for us to wander around that long on a wild goose chase!"

'_I'm in full agreement with that_,' Youko growled out irritably within Kurama's head, pacing and shoving within their exhausted body as he sought to vent his own temper at their extended time of pointless traveling.  As much as he enjoyed the heightened youki of Makai's atmosphere, and the strength they drew in from having such levels on easy access, there hadn't been a single lead on the information they really wanted.  Even when they had "strayed" into the Western Lands in their hunt for whoever or whatever was poking at the barrier, the guardians of the lands hadn't taken the bait for more than placing themselves in their way and reiterating Sesshoumaru's orders that they were not allowed to go digging around his property.  '_Bastard beat us there and told them not to let us in_.'

            _You knew he would, _Hiei shrugged it off blandly, just as bored as the kitsune and silently glaring at the deity to reinforce his own disapproval with their non-activity.  _You said it yourself, he's meticulous and a strategist.  He probably left to inform his people there as soon as his "meeting" ended with you_.

            Kurama sighed wearily, reaching up and rubbing his aching head when that set Youko off into a round of blistering curses that ranged from what he'd come to view as standard all the way to downright crude, _Calm down, Youko_._  Getting angry isn't going to help us, and it's not Hiei that you're directing it at anyhow_.

            '_He's convenient_.'

            Hiei snorted when he caught that pouting remark, but didn't take the weight of his stare off the fidgeting Koenma, _It won't be convenient when I decide to save the miko the trouble of dealing with you and run you through._

            '_Kagome has better taste than to be pleased at such violence against my beautiful person_,' Youko turned his nose up loftily, mildly settling as the mention of his soon-to-be lover distracted him from his murderous thoughts enough to turn them in a more pleasant direction.  '_Let's get out of here and find her, Kurama_.  _I'm tired of this, I want to see her again_.'

            _You want to play out that shower fantasy you've been running through our head for the past week,_ Kurama accused him, but the heat that he'd intended to put into his tone wasn't there.  He was tired, he was dirty, and the thought of slipping into a shower to cuddle with the miko who'd haunted their waking and sleeping moments was a very attractive fantasy indeed.  Especially if she turned to him under than slide of hot water, running her hands down his chest to help him wash away the blood and grime of their battles before rising up on her toes and-

            '_I'm not the only one_,' Youko retorted smugly, dislodging the images that had been raising their body temperature enough that Hiei shifted his weight and turned an arch look on him in a "suggestion" to think of other things.

            _You started it_, Kurama turned his face aside to hide the heightened color until he could get himself under control. 

            _Are you ready to be serious, or have you finally become trapped in your high-school imaginations and lost all possibility of being an effective ally?_ Hiei drawled out, the gleam in his eyes showing that he was just warming up to what had turned into _his _favorite method of alleviating the stagnant boredom.

            '_I'm starting to forget why I ever liked you_,' Youko scowled back at him.  '_If you aren't nicer to me I'm going to warn Shippou that he should break your miserable heart and look for a different lover_.  _A better, cuter one_.  _Someone tall_-'

            _I can still tell Kagome you want to have sex with her brother_, Hiei warned him, smirking internally when the kitsune sent him a narrow glare and folded his arms over his chest before proceeding to ignore him.

            '_I am not attracted to that little _boy_,_' Youko protested arrogantly after the hybrid simply let the silence stand for a few minutes.  '_He does not have the same hands that Kagome has, and his eyes aren't nearly as fantastic_.'

            _You have the strangest obsession with her hands,_ Hiei made a face so subtly one would have to know what they were looking for to actually see the change to his stoic expression.  _The eyes I can understand, but what is it about you and her hands?_

            '_How can you _not _know?_' Youko frowned in genuine confusion.  '_Have you looked at them?  Really looked?  They're absolutely beautiful, Hiei_.  _I want to see her rip the heart and throat out of an opponent, see those fingers covered in blood and lick them clean so I can listen to the sounds she would make for me_.  _They'll be sensitive, but I want to taste them and find out where she likes it the most… then she'll slide her fingers over our chest and down into_-'

            _I get the idea_, Hiei cut him off when the kitsune's voice started to cloud over with lust, not in the mood to deal with yet another hour of catching random, perverted images from their head.

            '_You asked_,' Youko shrugged, his voice slightly hurt at being cut off from his explanation.

            _Gods help me in my moment of insanity_.

            "Yuusuke, this is very important!" Koenma was protesting as he rose to his feet, unwilling to admit to being intimidated by the trio in his office as their ki alternately swirled in highs and lows that alternately heated and chilled the air with their displeasure.  "It's unnatural for a youkai to be so organized and specific in attacking the barrier without passing through.  You have to find out who would do this!"

            "News flash, brat, they ain't there!" Yuusuke threw out his hands in an expansive gesture.  "_Nothing's _there!  And I won't stay in Makai for nothing when I'm missing my family with nothing but Botan popping in to pass along messages.  It's damned frustrating and just plain stupid!"

            "Yuusuke-"

            "No!" he slammed a fisted hand down on the desk again and cut him off.  "You don't have any information that indicates we should be there and running around Makai with nothing to go on is like trying to find _one_ needle in a stack of a million of 'em!  We're going home."

            '_If I didn't find him so unappealing, I would kiss him right now_.'

            Kurama rolled his eyes, _Is there anyone you wouldn't kiss under the "right" circumstances?_

            He'd meant the question to be mocking, insulting the kitsune's most common remark of thanks when he was feeling pleased with someone's actions, and nearly snarled when he felt Youko contemplate it thoughtfully, '_I don't think so_-'

            _You're a sick, sick youkai_, Kurama gritted his teeth.

            '_Stop being such a prude, you're getting all uptight like a little human over silly things_,' Youko scolded dismissively.

            _Would he be more appealing if he hadn't one-upped you on the children thing?_ Hiei prodded smugly, his own spirits rising not only at the welcome show of Yuusuke putting his foot down to the sputtering deity, but also at the return of the kitsune's more amusing internal banter.

            '_I have a nasty plant with your name on it, hybrid_,' Youko rounded on him.

            _Maybe I should have a baby_, he continued, drawing out his words as though the thought of this taunt had only just occurred to him.  _Then he could be all ready and waiting to start at your human school just in time to be available to watch your baby in the evenings_-"

            Kurama had to forcefully rein Youko in when he made the attempt to lunge at Hiei.

            "Let's go," Yuusuke's grumbled remark brought them back to the present as he brushed past the youkai with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets.  "I'm tired, I'm gross, and I'm hungry.  We'll start looking at the spots in our world that the barrier got poked, but I ain't going back to Makai until there's something to chase."

            Hiei shook his head and turned to follow with Kurama at a more careful pace behind him, still having some difficulty with Youko after that loaded comment and unwilling to tempt fate by being within arm's reach of the source, _Look on the bright side, Kurama, at least Yuusuke grew a pair and stepped up for once.  It's a welcome change to see his intelligence is becoming more adequate, don't you think?_

            _Hiei, you are not helping in the slightest_, Kurama felt his eyebrow twitch, glancing back at Koenma to see the deity's hand was lifted in the beginnings of a protest when his eyes slanted to something the office they couldn't see.  He came to a stop instantly in suspicion, nearly turning back when the door slammed shut and blocked them off from whatever had entered behind them, _Dammit all_.

            _What?_ Hiei instantly switched to a more serious mood, frowning as he followed Kurama's gaze to the closed door.  _What happened?_

            _There was someone else there_, Kurama raked an impatient hand through his hair.  _Whoever it was stopped Koenma from calling us back, but I didn't see who it was_.

            '_It had to be someone with enough importance to get his attention like that,_' Youko made a soft sound in his throat as he went over the possibilities, not liking that there was another chance for yet another loose piece to crop up.  '_Fuck this, I'm tired of it for right now and I want to find Kagome_.'

            _Did you miss the miko that much?_ Hiei arched an eyebrow curiously as the kitsune stalked past him towards the portal Yuusuke had Botan open into his kitchen.

            _Did you somehow miss the fact that this is the only girl we've agreed on, Hiei?_ Kurama slanted him a dry look, taking in a deep breath once they'd stepped out into the familiar surroundings and felt the portal close.  _Or that we want her?  The kissing?  The_-

            _Obsession? _he supplied before the kitsune could continue.

            '_Fixation_.'

            _Your dictionary needs editing_.

            "Damn, she's still out," Yuusuke sighed and shook his head, holding a note in his hand where he stood beside the table before his lips curved and he started to laugh.  "She's out picking up the boys from class at Kagome's temple."

            Kurama had the note in his hand a second later, reading the contents as he stepped casually to the side to evade Yuusuke's startled attempt to take it back, _That's unsatisfying… there's nothing interesting in it about Kagome_.

            _Why would there be?  She's your "fixation" not Keiko's, _Hiei rolled his eyes and calmly left the kitchen in search of the one human convenience he had decided some time ago that it wouldn't hurt to appreciate and enjoy for it's simple efficiency… the shower. 

            '_You'd better not be going where I think you're going_,' Youko lost interest in the note as Kurama let Yuusuke snatch it back, prodding Kurama into motion when he realized the hybrid was making his way down the hallway.

            _First come_, Hiei glanced back at him, waiting for the kitsune to come into his line of sight before he slammed the bathroom door closed with more force than necessary, just to hear the new curses rising from the kitsune's mind.  _If you keep complaining, I'll take longer and then you'll never get clean in time to track her down before it's too late to visit_.

            '_It's never too late to visit_,' Youko muttered rebelliously, touching his tongue to the roof of his mouth before he had them turning to bound up the stairs in search of the second bathroom before Yuusuke realized his two options for getting clean were about to be occupied.

            But, he rationalized easily as he closed and locked the door of the upstairs shower, it was much more important for them to clean up enough to feel they were suitably well-groomed and recovered to be out in public when Yuusuke's source of gratification would be returning to the house while he had to search for his own unassisted.

            Kurama heard the doorknob rattle, Yuusuke's frustrated swearing easily reaching his sensitive ears over the rushing of water and he stripped off the travel-stained clothing and stepped under the welcome spray.  He let a pleased smirk cross his lips as the cleansing rush slid over his skin and slowly penetrated the thickness of his hair to flatten down the natural style as the pristine white tile streaked red and gray with old blood and dirt.

            Victory was so much sweeter when someone was left suffering in its wake.

::………::

            :_Your opponent is a faceless evil…:_

            Kagome darted back again, the rings of her shakujou singing against each other as she blocked the deadly swing Shippou had aimed at her head, completely oblivious to the way Souta had flinched and started forward the moment the weapons connected so forcefully.  They stood locked together for a timeless moment, blue eyes on blue as they regarded each other with the cold detachment Sesshoumaru had so painstaking instilled in them during their training.

            :_You must be prepared.  No matter the creature that stands against you, you must be able to remove yourself from attachments of emotions and fight to your full potential.  Only one leaves a battle victorious.  The other leaves only in spirit.:_

            "Stop dropping your left hand when you swing overhead," Kagome whispered over their joined weapons, the razor edges glinting in the dying light of the evening as they absently tested the strength of the other in the push of their weight together against interlocked weapons.  "You're leaving yourself open long enough to be vulnerable."

            Shippou gave a tight nod, shoving against her one more time before he leapt back across the clearing and resumed a ready stance, balancing lightly on one foot as Kagome easily reversed her hold on the staff to become more aggressive.

            :_Hesitation is death in our battles.  You know this, and yet you still fail to recognize this truth.  How many times must this Sesshoumaru prove to you that even the most trusted ally may be used against you if you are unable to free yourself of such failings?:_

            Shippou was rushing at her again in a split second, correcting his swing as he lashed out rapidly, feeling the heavy vibration travel up his arm with every countered strike bringing the wakizashi to a halt against the enchanted wood.  Kagome's hand suddenly left its position, fisting in the front of his shirt and jerking him forward to slam her forehead against his hard enough that he stumbled back in a faint daze.

            Kagome grinned at his stunned look, giving him a wink as he reached up and touched the back of his hand to his head to check for bleeding, "Courtesy of Inuyasha."

            "Ch!" Shippou snorted at that, but his own lips were twitching at how successful the wholly unexpected maneuver had been.  "I should have expected you'd still be a dirty fighter."

            "A win is still a win, Shippou-chan," Kagome dipped her head to acknowledge that, reaching up to brush her own hand over her forehead and wipe away the blood that she could feel seeping from the slight cut her attack had opened on his own skin.  "There is no such thing as dirty fighting if it grants you an advantage over your opponent."

            :_Your enemies will not hesitate.:_

            Souta stared in amazement as they crashed together again, his sister moving with more speed and efficiency than he'd ever dreamed he would see coming from her.  But still… he could see what Shippou had meant when he told him that Kagome's real skill was in her defenses.  She excelled with turning the moves the kitsune launched away from her, but her own attacks were few and far between even if they were executed with potentially fatal accuracy when she performed them.  She was a patient fighter, perfectly focused on her opponent with a calm look on her face as she waited for just the right opening in Shippou's offense before she struck back with a speed and strength that couldn't possibly be human.

            :_Your allies will not always be at your side_.:

            "Don't see my face when you attack me," Kagome's low instruction sent a shiver down Souta's spine and he wrapped his arms around his torso, looking at her with a new sense of awe and respect at truly seeing her fight.

            _Was this what she meant?_ his eyes hungrily followed their motions as they continued to move around the grove with all the agility and grace of dancers in their battle.  _One slip, one mistake, and either one of them could be killed…  Could I fight like that?  Could I fight _them _like that?  Knowing I might slip and kill her if she missed a block_…

            :_How badly do you want to survive, miko?  This is not a game or an exercise… This is the simple truth of life and death, the struggle to live another day longer than your opponent_.:

            _She fights with more seriousness than Shippou_, Souta observed in confusion, wondering why his very human sister would have less restriction than a youkai in battle.  _What happened to you that you still won't tell me, Nee-san?_

            :_Every battle must be entered with the intent to win at all costs or you court your own death in failure_.  _Do not see the face of your opponent with your emotions, miko… it is just another body, another creature seeking for your death_.:

            Kagome suddenly pulled the shakujou away, making Shippou jerk back in alarm when she twisted her wrist faster than Souta had ever seen her move and held the razor edge poised just above the pulse throbbing rapidly in his throat, "You're dead.  Don't hesitate, Shippou, don't _ever_ hesitate."

            :_That is the only way we survive this fate, this life of ours_.:

            Shippou's lips quirked up in a rueful smile, slanting a look over at Souta's pale face as he nodded to Kagome and let the blue streams of foxfire wrap around his hands and absorb the blades back down into nothing, "Oi… do you get it now?"

            Kagome turned to follow his line of sight, blinking when she finally noticed the stunned look on her little brother's face, "Souta?  Are you all right?"

            He blinked, his attention refocusing on the present as his eyes slid over to focus on his sister, nodding automatically as he came to his feet and dusted off his pants with the signs that the battle was clearly over, "Yeah… I'm just… yeah."

            A frown creased her face as she walked over to him, her hold on the staff casual, but still giving off the odd appearance that it could change in a heartbeat to something stronger, "You look a little pale."

            Shippou slid up beside them, clasping his hands behind his back and grinning at her as he nodded to the uncharacteristically quiet boy, "Souta didn't quite understand what you meant when you said the style wasn't something you could really teach to someone who's never fought someone intending to seriously kill them.  I thought we should demonstrate and make it more obvious."

            "Oh," Kagome blinked, letting out a sigh and reaching out to lightly touch her little brother's hand as she schooled her expression into a soft smile.  "I'm sorry, Souta, I didn't realize that's what this was."

            Souta shook his head, recovering and grasping her hand tightly, "Don't apologize.  I told you, Nee-san, I want to know.  Seeing you like this…  I had no idea you'd gotten so good."

            Shippou started to preen as though he was the one single-handedly responsible for such a feat, "It's beautiful, isn't it?  Even Sesshoumaru was proud-"

            The rose at Kagome's throat suddenly twitched and lifted itself up to face off to their right, bringing a stop to the conversation as they followed it's "point" to the empty woods and Shippou tilted his head up to sniff the air before he let out an irritated curse, "Goddammit, I swear he times things just to piss me off the most."

            _Kurama_, Kagome swallowed hard, unable to completely decipher the emotions that went rushing through her system and pressing a hand to her stomach when it took up a faint, nervous flutter.

            "That kitsune guy?" Souta's brows lifted in surprise, brows furrowing in confusion as he tried to fan out his own senses and came back empty.

            Kagome's hand came out to rest on his arm before he could actually give voice to his frustration, shaking her head and explaining softly, "He's too old, and he has perfect control of things that grow for you to feel him out in nature like this.  If he asks it to, the forest hides him from any senses, not just ours."

            Shippou made a face, "But he wanted me to smell him coming because he's a cocky sonofabitch."

            "Sesshoumaru's right, you're a disrespectful thing," Kurama's voice drew their eyes up to where he stood perfectly calmly on the thick branch of a tree, one arm braced against the trunk as he ignored the fuming kit and went straight to catching Kagome's gaze.  "But I can forgive you this time for bringing Kagome out to meet me where I could find her easily."

            Kagome sighed and hooked her fingers in the back of Shippou's shirt when he nearly tried to go after the other obviously preening kitsune, "Calm down, Shippou.  He's only doing it because it irritates you."

            "I _know_ that!" Shippou protested and pointed up at him furiously.  "But he can't just drop in like this!  This is family time and he's interrupting."

            She grabbed his ear, tugging his head down and pressing a kiss to his temple before whispering to him, "Relax.  We'll handle it, all right?"

            He set his jaw, swearing and folding his arms in a pout before he reluctantly nodded and turned his back on the older kitsune in a show of disrespectful rejection, but still peeked over his shoulder to keep an eye on him, "All right, Nee-san, but I don't have to like it."

            "No, you don't," Kagome blew out an even deeper sigh and leaned back to look back up at the man waiting for her to pay attention to him again.  "Hello, Kurama."

Kurama's expression instantly melted into a look of pure seduction and heat that had Shippou swearing at him and inwardly cursing his race,  "Hello, lover… Did you miss me?"

            Kagome couldn't help it, the tension melted out of her shoulders and she let out a helpless giggle at such blatant posturing, "I've been busy at the temple."

            '_That's not a very flattering greeting_,' Youko pouted, giving Kurama a push to get him jumping effortlessly to the ground and brushing past Shippou as though the other kitsune was made of air.

            "You haven't been introduced to Souta yet, have you?" she grabbed her brother and yanked him in front of her in a perfectly calculated move to block his advance when she recognized that gleam in his eyes, the same one she'd failed to guard against that first time he'd felt insulted by her inattention and kissed the breath out of her.  Self-preservation instincts alone demanded she protected herself against that kind of assault while her body was still humming from her fight with Shippou and eager for another outlet, "My little brother?"

            Kurama stopped, quizzically tilting his head to one side as he and Youko processed that their intended prey had just been abruptly replaced with a wide-eyed boy who suddenly frowned and blurted out a disbelieving, "Minamino-sempai?"

            Now it was Kagome's turn to flash her little brother a startled look, missing the surprise that chased across the kitsune's own face as she demanded, "You know him?"

            "You know my human name?" Kurama's question came with his own look of astonished confusion as he reached out under her wandering focus and finally managed to catch hold of Kagome's hand before she could hide behind her brother again.

            "Hell, Nee-san, the guy has a fanclub the size of a political party," Souta made a face, reaching up to rub the back of his head in a show of discomfort at being in between the two of them while Kurama stubbornly refused to let go and Kagome stayed stubbornly behind her brother's back.  "Three of my old girlfriends carried around pictures of him in their planners."

            Shippou made a choked sound once and then again before he dissolved into laughter that was disturbingly echoed in Kurama's head with Hiei's mutual amusement when they caught the downright irritated look that made those green eyes narrow, "Fanclub…"

            "How old are you?" Kurama gritted out, doing his best to ignore the laughter while Youko preened at their notoriety to have their name still passed around in educational circles.

            "Eighteen," Souta squared his chest proudly, frowning when that only made the man reach up with his other hand and start massaging his temples with a string of muttered curses and the laughter around them reach a new level.

            "You actually deserve more than that for almost making me go deaf, you know," Kagome informed him primly, tugging at her wrist and not at all surprised when that only encouraged his fingers to curl more securely around the appendage.  At the questioning look he shot her, she tapped her shakujou lightly against the grass in a mindless rhythm and expounded, "For the shrieking fangirl phone-call I got from someone I attended school with at finding out I was 'dating' _the_ Minamino Shuuichi."

            "Please tell me you're joking," Kurama sighed with a sinking sensation that she wasn't.

            "Gossip chain is all worked up over seeing us in the restaurant," she informed him without a shred of sympathy for the renewed laughter she could hear from Shippou.  "And you know… it would have been nice to have known about the 'legendary scores' and long running, psychotic underground society of the person who's decided to make my life hell before I was answering questions about our so-called relationship."

            _Long running, psychotic underground society,_ Hiei turned that description over in his head and started to snicker wickedly.  _I think that's the best one I've heard yet_.

            '_Why isn't she looking more jealous?_' Youko frowned, his tone bordering on pouting.  '_Females are supposed to get jealous and possessive over that kind of thing._'

            _I can only hope this miko pokes more than one hole in that ridiculously monstrous ego running around in your empty head, _Hiei dropped down silently behind them, not the slightest bit surprised when she glanced at him over her shoulder to give him a brief, assessing look before turning her frown back on Kurama.  _She doesn't seem to be overly impressed with you_.

            "Why didn't you tell me Kurama was Minamino-sempai?" Souta grimaced when Kurama 'accidentally' nudged him in the ribs with his elbow, stepping aside rather than feel that sharp point again and shrugging when Kagome mouthed "traitor."

            "It never crossed my mind that you would know him, and I didn't exactly know that name until Eri squealed it at me like a broken dolphin," Kagome dug in her heels when he gave her wrist a tug, giving him a look to show that she was still less than pleased over that little event and didn't intend to play it his way at the moment.

            '_Pull harder_.'

            _I really don't need your suggestions right now, Youko_, Kurama informed him with an exasperated snort.

            _Some seductive genius,_ Hiei rolled his eyes, watching as Shippou realized just who had slipped into the little clearing and spun around with both swords out and crossed defensively until Hiei gave him a bland look to show he wasn't looking for a fight just yet.  _At this rate, my baby will be in that university thing Keiko always babbled about_ _before you get around to-_

            '_That is QUITE enough out of you, you pointy-headed bastard_,' Youko hissed out, ducking Kurama's control and venting his mounting frustrations by flashing forward to slide his arm tightly around Kagome's waist.  He had her flattened her up against his chest before she could protest, waiting for her mouth to open on whatever she intended to say before he was dipping his head and closing his mouth over hers with a low, hungry purr.

            "Whoa, whoa! HEY!" Souta's eyes went enormous at the action, reaching out only to have Kurama's other hand snap out and catch his wrist without seeming to take the slightest focus off drawing her up into that slow, lingering kiss.  "You can't handle my sister that way!" he yanked ineffectively against the inhuman strength in that hand.

            When Kurama lifted his head, he absently licked his lips to savor the lingering taste clinging to them and turned to smirk at the boy, "Interrupting is uncalled for when lovers are greeting after a long separation."

            Kagome managed to shake off the lingering haze that stubbornly gripped her mind through force of will alone, trying to get her legs to stop trying to do their unsupportive impression as she reached up and swatted him upside the head just hard enough to tilt it slightly, "Stop kissing me to throw me off guard, you sneaky ass!"

            _You must be losing your touch_, Hiei smirked, but didn't bother taking his eyes off the other kitsune, frowning when he noticed the way his gaze continued to dart around the woods with… anxiety?  Actually, he unfolded his arms and straightened as his senses hummed with the oddity of the scene.  Why wasn't Takashima ranting just as loudly as the monk-in-training over how the kitsune was handling their miko when he was the first one to start screeching his fury to the sky under those circumstances?  _Fox… we may have a problem_.

            _I'm slightly busy, Hiei,_ Kurama informed him stiffly, releasing Souta to link his hands behind Kagome's back before she could pull away and offering her his most charming smile to soothe her. 

"I could throw you off guard any number of ways, Kagome… I kiss you because I want to taste you, and you're too enticing for your own good.  I missed you," he leaned forward and rubbed his cheek against her temple before she could start to protest, smiling at the way he felt the muscles across her stomach shiver against his.

            _Possibly serious_-

            '_This is more serious,_' Youko retorted, paying no mind to the boy sputtering with a helpless sort of anger beside them as he curled their finger under her chin and tilted her face up to soak in those luminous eyes searching his.

            _I don't think that's entirely true_, Hiei turned his body just enough that his back was more directed to Kurama, trusting the kitsune to guard against an attack to that vulnerability.

            The sound of growling reached their ears on the heels of that thought, and Kurama opened his mouth in exasperation to remind Shippou he had every right to do what he was doing when his eyes were instantly snared by the glint of golden eyes watching from the trees all around them.  Several pairs of golden eyes, _Dammit… there aren't supposed to be wild animals here!  This is too close to the city for that, and why didn't we feel-?_

            _I don't think these are normal animals_, Hiei shook his head, his hand tightening on the hilt of his katana when he saw the way Shippou had relaxed at the sound rather than displaying the expected apprehension.  _Look at Takashima_.

            "Kagome, stay between me and Hiei," Kurama's voice lost all edges of playfulness, pressing a brief kiss to her mouth again as he unwound his arm and turned to position himself in front of her.  _What the hell is he doing?  Is he calling them here to attack us?_

            '_That doesn't make any sense,_' Youko frowned, fanning out their senses to have the plants in the forest ready to deny any orders made by the younger kitsune and bend to his will.  '_It's out of character… this has to be something else_.'

            "What's going on?" Souta demanded, reacting to the threat in the kitsune's voice as he twisted and searched the area, eyes going wide when he caught the hollow echo his sister had painstakingly taught him to sense.  "Nee-san, what-?"

            Kagome shook her head, warning him to be quiet as she restricted her own methods of searching in favor of their far too perceptive for their own good audience, taking her cue from Shippou's relaxation that it wasn't going to be as bad as it could be, _But could it really-?  I can almost swear that I smell-_

            "Yo!"


	32. SugarCoated Fabrication

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -heh heh-  Ah, decisions… But that came later.  Really I'm just inching away from the fact that I'm a girl and have people declaring they want to have my babies.  –shudder- Scariness.  LOL!  And I wasn't going to update so soon, but like I said… this arc has been plotted and mostly written for a while.  So the updates _might_ come a little faster, but don't hold me to that promise.  If they do, awesome.  If not, don't wig out, they'll still come, it generally just means I had a brainstorm and am nitpicking myself to death.  Now… there are a few questions that were asked that I can't answer yet, so I'll return to the blanket statement of saying be patient.  They'll be answered eventually.

-huge grin- My reviews were so fabulous to read this time around!  All my junkies and darling readers seemed to be enjoying the potential for this chapter, -giggles wickedly- and the guessing!  The guessing was just uber.  That was so much fun.  I really do adore you guys, you're sweet and wonderful, and I love reading what you're thinking and enjoying in the story.  –bows and blows kisses- 

By Any Other Name 

Sugar-Coated Fabrication

            "Yare yare… what's so damned important that I had to haul my ass here straight from the plane, hn, bratling?  You made it sound serious when you called," Kagome's eyes went wide behind the concealing wall of Kurama's back at the sound of that bored growl, a flush of cold washing through her veins as her mind blanked out for a split second under the rush of emotions and memories crashing into her head enough to nearly drown out the actual words being said.  "If this is another of your little tricks, you can expect me to crack that stubborn skull harder than normal this time and teach you not to summon your elders so imperiously.  I'm behind schedule and not in the mood."

            Kagome could feel her entire body begin to shake, curling in on herself and trying to take slow breaths with every heavy pulse of her soul protesting against her restrictions, _Oh… oh gods, Kagome, calm down.  Don't do it, don't-_

            "Oi!  Don't go making threats you can't back up!" Shippou folded his arms over his chest, nose turning up arrogantly at the accusation.  "What part of 'it's a surprise' didn't get through your thick head?"

            Knuckles cracked threateningly, "Looks like you just wanted that lesson after all.  Come on then… I could use a good fight."

The thin thread holding her back finally wound to tight and snapped audibly within her mind as her eyes flashed and she twisted around towards that much loved voice.  Completely ignoring the tension humming between the two sides, Kagome shoved her treasured shakujou into Souta's hands to be free enough to duck lithely around Kurama's startled form and very nearly leap at the man who's eyes had started to widen in shock the moment she came into view.

"Kagome?!" his arms were instinctively opening, taking a step forward to catch her slight weight and hoist her up over his head with a bark of absolute delight, the emotion brightening his eyes and making his face positively boyish.

"Kouga-kun!" Kagome squealed, winding her arms around his neck when the momentum of the swing crashed her into his chest and he buried his face against the side of her throat, his own hold almost enough to make her spine groan in protest.

"Ah! Nee-san, you're back!" Ginta slipped from the tree line when he recognized the girl being swallowed up in their leader's arms.  His eyes widened as he quickly made a motion with his hand that had a dozen wolves gliding from their hiding places, their "prey" forgotten as they darted forward to surround the embracing wolf lord and miko, leaping up and barking eagerly in their efforts to have her put down.

"Goddammit, I _knew_ that fucking dog wouldn't call me!" Kouga finally lifted his head, hoisting her up at arm's length again effortlessly and grinning widely as his eyes searched her with an intensity that would have been unsettling in any other youkai.  "Where the hell have you been?  We were all waiting for you!"

Shippou let out a quick hiss, shoving Hakkaku out of his way and shaking his head to warn Kouga away from those kind of questions even as he tossed a smirk back at the rapidly darkening look on Kurama's face the longer the wolf's hands stayed on her, "I thought you two might want to kiss and make up now that Kouga's done with his work abroad and back in town."

'_Why that lousy little good-for-nothing shit!!_' Youko hissed out furiously, eyes narrowing at the interfering kit.  '_He _knew_… He knew that Kagome would behave this way to this fucking wolf!  Kiss and make up my _ass, _he's trying to bring in an opponent who can keep her in their circle!_'

_He could merely be a friend-_ Hiei began.

_That's not the embrace of a friend, _Kurama cut him off in clipped tones, his soft growl of mounting temper echoing the more intense one leaking from his other side.

"What about you?  When did you get back?" Kagome demanded, her eyes hungrily moving over the glossy ebony hair that now hung loose about his shoulders, the bright ice-blue eyes she so clearly remembered, and the way the chiseled features of his face had lost the last hint of juvenile softness.  Her hands followed her eyes, ghosting over each change before patting down his chest and shoulders through the plain white cotton of his shirt to feel if his body had made any other obvious alterations since their last meeting, "Look at you!  You look so… so modern!"

Kouga let out a bark of laughter at her description, hauling her gracelessly up against his chest again, "Ah, Kagome, you're supposed to say 'Kouga, you look amazing and handsome, and now I would love to be your woman.'"

Youko's very audible snarl of outrage at that comment was fortunately drowned out by Kagome's ringing laughter at hearing such a familiar "Kouga" response, but the way the wolf lord's eyes slanted over to more carefully assess the kitsune standing tensely beside Souta said very clearly he'd both heard and understood the unspoken challenge that had been voiced.

And from the way he shrugged and turned his full attention back down to the miko in his arms, it was just as clear that he simply didn't intend to acknowledge the other male as a threat.

'_Oh, I'm going to enjoy tearing his limbs off one at a time,_' Youko flexed his fingers, lifting one hand to trail his tongue over his claws and kicking at Kurama when he refused to mimic the more open threat.  '_What the hell are you waiting for?  A fucking invitation?  Get his hands off her and do it now!_'

_Don't rush it, Fox, you're outnumbered_, Hiei warned, shooting him a steady glare.

'_I won't have difficulties with these _children,' Youko hissed out meaningfully.

_Hiei's right, Youko, we can't just run in without provocation_-

'_We've had plenty of provocation_.'

_Not _yet, Kurama gave that command firmly, his own teeth grinding together at the control it took to deny the urge to do exactly what Youko demanded.  It was the intensity of the need to kill just for seeing them touching her with obvious affection that gave him pause, uncertain as to why it affected him so severely.

Youko snorted in disgust, '_Fool_.  _You are feeling exactly as you should be to see another handling what belongs to us_._  We will not permit others to touch her so familiarly without our permission, and _not_ before she has openly declared her acceptance of us exclusively_.'

_Double standard_, Hiei rolled his eyes.

'_Her problem, not mine_,' Youko intoned flatly.  '_She's human, and I want her devotion_.  _That means all her lust and adoration will belong to me, not spread out amongst these weak creatures trying to stand in our way_.'

_I'm still counting the days until your ass gets fried for being such a domineering pervert_, Hiei shrugged and trained all his senses back on the miko's conversation, hoping for something new.

"Baka," Kagome swatted Kouga playfully and took a step back, folding her arms over her chest and making a show of sweeping her gaze over him at that short distance to complete the picture of that modernized appearance in his thick leather boots and baggy earth-toned pants.  "Of course that would practically be the first thing you say to me."

Kouga chuckled and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, coming to a surprised stop when he suddenly found his wrist tightly bound in a thin vine, the plant sliding around his exposed skin and tightening sharply.  As he watched curiously the rose hiding in her hair let out a high-pitched hiss and bared its teeth against the intruder, "Eh?  What the fuck is this little thing?"

"Protection," Kurama's eyes flashed as he gritted out that low answer, stopping Kagome from reaching up to pull it away as she looked over her shoulder to take in the warning rise in ki from her self-declared lover.  "From youkai who don't know when to keep their hands to themselves."

Kouga's eyes narrowed as his expression changed to bland calculation, turning his wrist experimentally under the hold of the vine and tensing as he prepared to rip the irritating thing in half, "Protection?  Who the hell do you think you are to claim such rights against her family, you ballsy pretty boy?"

"Kouga-kun, this is Youko Kurama," Kagome slipped in to diffuse the aggression-heavy atmosphere, reaching up and sliding her fingertips down the vine with a stern jolt of ki to make it release the wolf.  Drawing it back to her hair and carefully removing its energy to bring it down to a more docile level before it was hurt,  "He's a… friend of mine," she added before glancing up and pointing to the wolf while she addressed the tense kitsune.  "Kurama, this is Kouga… he's the prince-"

"Lord," Kouga corrected, winking at her as he revealed that rise in position.  "I am the Wolf Lord of the Mountains and ambassador to the Western Lands."

Kagome's brows lifted, lips curling up as she whispered softly, "You've been busy."

"My woman deserves only the best," he returned with a slight bow that had her laughing again at just how much older he seemed from that first disastrous meeting in the past.

"_Your_ woman?" Kurama enunciated sharply, making sure to insert a finely edged warning into those two words.

"And that one?" Kouga ignored it again, appearing completely unfazed by the mounting anger in the kitsune's aura as he calmly observed the razor thin cuts crisscrossing his wrist, bringing it up for a lick as his healing closed the superficial wounds.

"Hiei," she was back to frowning in concern at him as she answered, holding out her hand and waiting for him to obediently lay his wrist in it for her own perusal to be certain he would suffer no ill effects of the possessive little rose.  "He's a friend of Kurama's, and a dessert thief."

"Dessert thief?" Kouga's brows almost vanished into his hairline in confusion as he repeated that, looking down at her with his head quizzically cocked to one side as she gave the arm a final pat and released it.

"Nee-san's still bitter about losing a dessert to him a few weeks back," Shippou rolled his eyes and silently muttered to himself that she _would_ bring up something like that in a serious situation.

Hiei could feel his head tilt ever so slightly to one side, brows drawn together as he tried to figure out just what to make of being referred to as something so banal with his own formidable reputation.  Yet, that thought was gone a moment later when he saw the wolf's eyes narrow towards them and flash brighter with a knowledge he refrained from sharing out loud, but easily showed that he knew those names for the youkai they were.

'_Fuck, it's about time we got a little recognition_,' Youko clenched and unclenched his hands, pondering just how he should kill this person so casually declaring _his _lover would belong to anyone else.

_Makes you wonder how much recognition_, Hiei remarked thoughtfully, wondering what would happen if he tried to penetrate this cold-eyed youkai's mind when he carried the same empty aura as all the others in the miko's company, but seemed less inclined to behave as deceitfully as the others.

Kagome let out a squeak and fell over when one of the wolves grew impatient, sinking his teeth into her pants and giving her a yank backwards in its effort to draw acknowledgement downwards to the neglected creatures.  She was laughing as she was swarmed, unaware of the way not only Hiei and Kurama had abruptly tensed, but Souta as well before she wrapped her arms around the nearest head to stop the enthusiastic licking, "All right, all right, I get the hint!"

Kouga's eyes warmed with affection as he looked down at the massive creatures looping their heads under her arms and hauling her a fair distance away at the silent, commanding gesture he gave both Ginta and Hakkaku, waiting to be sure they had a relative sort of privacy before he sighed and observed mostly to himself, "Ah… They missed her all right.  Greedy little bastards."

"They won't hurt her, will they?" Souta tightened his hand on her shakujou, inwardly marveling at how heavy it was while his nervous gaze continued to stray to the wolves pouncing his sister.  _Didn't Jii-chan say the youkai wolves ate human flesh?  Wait… don't _all _youkai eat human flesh?_

"_My _wolves?  Hurt Kagome?" Kouga snorted as thought the very thought was deeply insulting.  "They wouldn't dream of it.  They're just excited to see her again is all, last time they were pups."

_Pups?_ Hiei's eyes narrowed, darting a look over at the swarm to try and just how old the creatures would have to be now to have their considerable size.  _That can't be right…_

Shippou cleared his throat, shooting Kouga another speaking glare as he drawled out in warning suggestion, "Didn't Big Dog call you and tell you some of what was going on Kouga?"

"Hm?  Ah…that.  So _these_ are the Reikai-level brats sticking their noses into places they don't belong?" Kouga folded his arms over his chest, feet spreading apart in a more aggressive stance as the playfulness he'd displayed around Kagome changed to a coldly amused glare, eyes straying to the fox-smelling human looking at him with murderous intentions in those color-shifting eyes.  "So this is the avatar_…_?"_ pathetic, a youkai taking a human body as a hiding place_.

"Kurama here has announced to Sesshoumaru publicly that he's Kagome's lover," Shippou jerked his thumb in the proper direction to indicate the other youkai.

"Leave it to a kitsune," he muttered and rolled his eyes.

"How about leaving _that_ generalization out of it?" Shippou turned a sour glare on the unaffected lord.

"There's a reason I gave your obnoxious ass to Sesshoumaru, kit," Kouga returned casually, uncrossing his arms to rest one fist on his hip and scowling when the two foreign youkai moved into more defensive positions.  "Relax.  If any of us wanted you dead it would have happened already."

Kurama let out a short laugh that held little amusement, one hand moving back to rest his fingertips in his hair just in case, "My… isn't that an arrogant thing to say when you've never even seen us before, Kouga is it?"

More wolves began to slink out of the forest to come to their lord's side when the ki in the grove reached a new level, growling their warnings at the unfamiliar pair until Kouga reached out and patted them comfortingly on the heads, "Not at all.  Especially not with-"

"What do you really want with Kagome?" Shippou cut him off, sliding around under the guise of facing them while he shoved his elbow into the startled wolf's stomach to warn him off that kind of bragging.  "She already has us, and she's well protected by our youkai.  She doesn't need you adding your presence to give her headaches and nightmares."

Kurama's eyes were instantly darkening with suspicion at the way the younger kitsune had stopped this lord from revealing something that he could practically taste was important to solving the puzzle, "My interest is personal, kit, you know that.  You were there when I declared my intentions formally to Sesshoumaru."

Kouga let out a derisive snort of laughter and shook his head, "Personal?  You?  Give it up, mate," he drawled the title he'd picked up from the peculiar linguistics of the humans in England mockingly, enjoying the way that simple word had the man's lips tightening in displeasure.  "Kagome would never be allowed to casually shack up with a kitsune."

            "I never said it was casual," Kurama's voice took on a deceptively honeyed tone that had Hiei turning a wary frown on him, but his eyes never once left the youkai pair in front of them.

            Kouga's stance slowly lost its relaxed air, the amusement fading from his eyes as he shifted into a more openly aggressive position, "Then you can definitely forget it.  Kagome's pack and the last thing we'll permit is some arrogant fucking reborn avatar trying to take her away from us.  Sesshoumaru would marry her himself before he let that happen."

            Shippou blanched at the mental image those words conjured up, visibly disturbed by the thought even as he reluctantly nodded his agreement to Kurama, "He's right.  We're a very private family, and we're all protective of Kagome, Red.  Find a different girl to have your fun with."

            "If you call me by that disrespectful nickname one more time, little kit, I'm going to break you in half no less than three times," Kurama's fists clenched when Youko spilled over to let out that deep-throated promise under the continued insult.

            Shippou rested his hands on his hips, cocking one out in a particularly arrogant stance and smirking as his eyes flashed in challenge, "You think you can take me on, you-?"

            "Shippou-chan, if you're trying to pick a fight, I'll bust your ass as soon as we get home!" Kagome's voice carried over from her place with the rest of the pack, making the younger kitsune wince and turn a pout back at her stern expression.  "Kurama has been a perfect gentleman…. mostly."

            "Yeah, a 'perfect gentleman' with a mind like Miroku," he muttered under his breath, pasting on a bright, innocent smile when she turned a pointed look on him.

            '_What did he just say-?!_' Youko suddenly leaned forward, ears twitching as he tried to decipher if he'd actually heard what he thought he had.

            _Kagome said that name the first time we met,_ Kurama's eyes narrowed, taking a step forward before he forcefully stopped himself, wanting more than anything to grab the younger boy and shake the answers out of him at hearing that spoken a second time in association with himself.  But if Shippou had spoken that name unintentionally –as he suspected, he didn't want to set him on guard again when there was so much potential to get more vital information.

            '_She called _us_ by that name,_' Youko corrected to specify, growling with anger at the memory of there being someone else in her life to make her eyes soften to the liquid emotion he'd become so transfixed with the moment they had met his own.  '_Who the hell is Miroku and why was she looking for him in our eyes?_'

            _Maybe their wariness of letting her be with a kitsune is due to something more specific than what we thought,_ Hiei added his own thoughts, glancing over at Kagome with a frown.  _This Miroku person may have come before you and caused them difficulties, or hurt her and abandoned her_.

            '_Then we'll kill him_.  _Problem solved._'

            _You're in a bloodthirsty mood_, Hiei remarked with a definite thread of amusement, unable to deny that he was thoroughly enjoying Kurama's displeasure towards the other youkai.  _What would you be saying if the wolf kissed her in front of you?_

            '_We would not be having this conversation, we would be destroying evidence of his most unfortunate, accidental demise_,' Youko shrugged as calmly as though he'd just decided what to have for dinner. 

            _We don't need to be having those thoughts yet,_ Kurama tried to soothe his own less than welcoming emotions towards the wolf to calm Youko down, taking a deep breath and looking at the scene with a more objective eye.  _Kagome is happy to see him, yes, but her eyes didn't have the longing we can make in them, and her hands didn't linger the way his did.  Not to mention Shippou is having to continuously cut him off as he speaks.  This wolf is not as sneaky as the others, and he might give us answers we need if we talk him around them carefully_.

            '_Taking advantage of his tactless nature?_' Youko snickered at the thought, settling back much more calmly as he folded his arms across his chest.  '_Yes, I knew there was a reason I let you stay on top, Kurama_.'

            Now it was Kurama rolling his eyes in exasperation, _You make it sound like you had a choice, and stop acting like you weren't thinking the same things_.

            '_I'm just so proud that you're finally letting yourself think of things the way we should be thinking_,' Youko responded, winding his arms around their soul in a more open display of the pleasure in his rich voice.  '_Sometimes I wondered if you intended to ignore our soul completely for this humanity bullshit you pretend to enjoy_.'

            Kouga had gone back to ignoring them as the wolves around him continued their wary growls, his good-humor restored at finally seeing the kitsune who'd tormented him for decades being brought down by the one person he would truly listen to and obey, "Oi, Kagome!  You're coming to dinner with us tonight, got it?  We've got a lot of time to make up for since you were taken."

            _Taken?!_

            Shippou kicked him when he saw the curiosity light in the ever-watchful, painfully sharp eyes of Kurama and Hiei, hissing out, "Dammit, Kouga, shut _up!_  She's already got plans to introduce Sesshoumaru to her mother."

            "Oh?" he blinked, completely unperturbed by the strike that should have at least garnered a flinch.  "I'll tag along then.  I want to see that damned shrine too."

            He clapped a hand over his eyes, lamenting the straightforwardness of the wolf lord even as he felt the ki around the grove spike with triumphant curiosity, "Kouga, I hate you."

            Kouga reached over and grabbed him by the back of the neck, squeezing as he lifted the much younger youkai off his feet and shook him as though he were no more than a disobedient pup, "Did all that respect fall out of your empty kitsune head while I was gone?  Sesshoumaru is too easy on you."

            '_Sometimes I love wolves_,' Youko's smile took on a malicious edge, not only at the handling the kit was suffering, but the welcome bluntness to his speech after all the carefully woven lies surrounding these youkai.  '_Not to mention he's making Shippou's attempt to inconvenience us backfire in the most wonderful way_.'

            _If Sesshoumaru is too easy on him, I almost feel sorry for whatever this lord thinks is proper punishment_, Hiei arched an eyebrow at the mutinous look on Shippou's face when the shaking finally stopped, but his eyes continued to return to the wolf lord in speculation, nudging at the edges of what he hoped was his mind's path in an effort to encourage more of these revealing comments.  _But you're right… he's giving us more pieces since he arrived then we've had in the entire time we've known of this damn legend_.

            Unable to successfully squirm himself down, Shippou resorted to a different method, making his eyes huge and liquid in the way only baby animals and apparently kitsune could perfect as he twisted to whine out, "Kagomeee!  Kouga's being mean to me!"

            "What'd you do?" she called back dryly, not even looking up from where Hakkaku and Ginta had taken to hovering just behind her and grinning over some story they were whispering in her ears.  "And don't try the eyes, brat, you know they don't work on me.  I know you too well."

            Shippou deflated with a pout, "Damn."

            "She knows your tricks better than the rest of us," Kouga smirked and dropped him unceremoniously to the ground, not the least bit surprised to see him agilely catch and right himself with a huff.  "And you're too old to make the mother in her get gooey in such a peaceful situation."

            Kagome's head snapped around when she felt the sudden rise in power, inexplicably drawn to the source of what radiated such incredible focus and strength in such a short span of time and fighting off the knee-jerk desire to reach out for it as she alerted her companions to the change, "Kouga.  Shippou."

            The pair came to attention immediately, following her glassy eyes to the shorter youkai in front of them and bringing threatening growls spilling from their throats at the implications of her tone, "Oi… whatever the hell you think you're doing, half-pint, you've got five seconds to knock it off or I'll do it for you."

            Hiei frowned slightly, not at the words, but at the way his attempt to see into this Kouga more directly had so abruptly disrupted and unraveled against his control.  Confused and suspicious, he glanced from the youkai in front of him beyond to where Kagome had risen to her feet, her expression intent and just as searching as his own, "She felt it."

            _Felt it? _Kurama glanced sharply at his companion.

            _The Jagan_, he tilted his head, watching her silently for another moment before he murmured quietly, "I thought you said you weren't a very good miko."

            "Not a very-?" Kouga took a reflexive step back, eyes clouding for a moment in confusion before he let out an irritated growl and spun around to face the girl standing amongst his wolves.  "Gods, Kagome, aren't you off that fucking kick yet?  How many times do I have to tell you that Inukkoro didn't mean it any of the times he said it?  He just didn't want you to get strong enough that you didn't need _his_ obnoxious ass!"

            "_Kouga!_" Shippou snapped out in a sharper tone than any of the others had heard come from him before.  "Bad timing!"

            '_Inukkoro?  Sesshoumaru?_' Youko was nearly coming out of his skin he was so excited, positively gleeful at seeing this wolf so true to the direct-spoken nature of his kind that Shippou looked ready to rip out his own tail and gag him with it.

            _And he doesn't seem to hold the same agreement that she's weak_, Hiei's own voice held a note of satisfaction, finally feeling some justification for all the annoyances of trying to feel out these empty auras beyond the insistence that it was due to a lack of power.  _She's responsible somehow… even if she's not a traditional miko, she has to be the one behind their ability to hide.  They're protecting that from us_.

            '_I'm willing to forgive his existence so long as we can get him to keep speaking and revealing important things_,' Youko declared smugly.  '_At this rate, we'll know all about our lover and whatever skills she's hiding from us in no time!_'

            Ignoring all of them, Kouga swore under his breath and stalked through the parting wolves to plant himself directly in front of Kagome, reaching out to grip her shoulders firmly and give her a light, chiding shake, "How long has it been since you found us again?  What the hell got into your head to make you think of yourself in such a deprecating manner?"

            "Kouga-kun, not now," Kagome grabbed his wrists and whispered, slanting a nervous look at Hiei's unblinking gaze as those claret eyes began to glow.  She dipped her head to hide the movement of her lips, carefully shielding her voice from reaching that far, "His youki was trying to find a point to mix with yours, moving in it.  Like Goshinki… remember what I told you about him?"

            Shippou's eyes widened when he caught the whispered name and just as quickly narrowed, backing away to stand protectively in front of Kagome, "No fucking way…  You sure?"

            Kouga rolled his eyes and reached over to smack him upside the head, "That's the kind of shit-talking that gets her on those 'I'm not good enough' slumps, you idiot.  Kagome doesn't get it wrong."

            "So that's why his youki's jumbled," Kagome was murmuring as everything started to blur around the edges, her eyes taking on a strange reflective quality behind the shielding forms of Kouga and Shippou as she let her soul reach out to stroke along his aura without giving it a path to trace back to her as the source if he managed to feel it.  "He… has something… it makes it harder to feel him."

            Kouga let out a grunt, reaching up and pressing his hand flat against his chest just below the clavicles, twisting to frown at her over his shoulder and murmur gently, "Ease up, love… this isn't the place for it, but if you're feeling sick I'll handle it until Sesshoumaru gets in."

            Hiei's brows instantly snapped together, fixating on that spot as the wolf drew his hand away, the fabric catching and tugging for a split second to reveal a vague pink burn in the otherwise flawless skin, but moving back into place before he could make out any details, _Dammit all to hell, there was something on Takashima there too!  What is it?_

            _What is what? _Kurama demanded, searching the lord for what could have set the hybrid's temper off in such a fashion.  _What are you looking at that I can't see?_

            Hiei would have smiled at the frustration in the kitsune's voice if it wasn't so plainly echoed in his own, habitually gripping the hilt of his sword as he watched the wolf speak to Kagome in low, undecipherable tones, _Takashima had a brand… on his chest, where the wolf just pressed on himself.  I saw something that may have been the same thing with identical placement on him_.

            '_Could they have another set of family markers?_' Youko growled out, tail flicking with the desire to pin them both down and perform a thorough search, but now was neither the time nor the place for the battle that would start, and Shippou's skills would be heightened enough in his element to be difficult.  '_But why a burn?  Markings are usually magic made_… _wait, youkai skin doesn't _scar_ from burns_.'

            _And Kagome doesn't have any symbols in that place to match, we would have seen it with the way she wears lower necklines_, Kurama pointed out, their minds racing around possibilities rapidly with this new piece of the puzzle.  _She has that crescent Sesshoumaru put on her shoulder from his protection… but that's hardly an intimate placement_.  _Why would they have brands in such an important area that she doesn't share when they're so possessive?_

            Souta was the one who unintentionally diffused what could have become a very nasty situation, very quickly when he shifted the shakujou, antsy at the clashing ki bouncing around the grove and trying to offer an escape once he caught sight of his sister's paling face through her living shields, "Nee-san… If we don't leave now, we're going to be late… and Okaa-san wouldn't appreciate that."

            The tinkling sound of the rings snapped Kagome's mind out of that hazy place it had traveled to so rapidly that if the wolves hadn't been so attentively standing around her, she would have dropped to her knees.  Her hands gripped the fur beneath them tightly, blinking as she reoriented herself to the present and forcing herself to sound as normal as possible as she answered her brother, "I think you're right, Souta."  _You have no idea how much you just saved my ass, you beautiful brat, but I swear to gods, I'll make it up to you any way you ask me to_.

            "I'll even drive," his voice gained strength with her agreement, standing straighter and taking a step only to stumble and nearly fall under the unnatural weight of the shakujou, glaring at it in disbelief before readjusting his hold to prevent further embarrassment.

            "And kill us all," Kagome's lips twitched, lightly brushing her open hand across first Shippou and then Kouga's backs to indicate it was safe enough to move aside.  _That was close though… dammit all, why do they have to feel so interesting to me?  I want to… no_.

            "I'm a good driver," Souta pouted, making a face as he handed the shakujou to Shippou, a comical look of disbelief taking over when the kitsune distractedly tossed it to Kagome.  He had reached out, terrified that the boy was about to unintentionally cause her serious damage when her hand snapped out just as absently to snatch it from the air and bring it to a relaxed position, "Ha…"  _Damn, that's just not right._

            Youko started to chuckle, but it still held an edge, the way it always did when he was in his 'information-gathering mode' and fitting everything into neat little spaces in his seemingly fathomless memory, '_Well, well… it looks like our lover really is stronger than she looks_.'

            _But why would they want something that simple even to be kept quiet?_ Hiei was starting to get agitated, trying to silently stare her down enough to get something… hell, even a flinch to indicate they were moving in the right direction.

            Kagome didn't even look at him, kneeling down and hugging the wolves tight as her mood lightened under the disappointed and cajoling whines coming from the lethal animals as they pushed into her, "I promise to come play again soon, but I haven't been to see my mother in a little too long.  And Kouga-kun looks jet-lagged."

            "Youkai don't get jet-lag," Kouga frowned, thunking her on the head lightly with another deep chuckle.

            "Just like youkai 'don't get sick,'" she rolled her eyes and stood again, tossing her ponytail back over her shoulder and smiling when she felt the rose reweaving the loosened knot for her.  "I'll see you in the office on Monday."

            Kouga arched an eyebrow at her, "You'll call me as soon as you get home and let me know you're all right or I'm on my cell to Sesshoumaru the second you're gone with my report."

            "That's not fair!" Kagome rounded on him to protest, stopping when he pressed a finger against her lips and gave her a practically heart-melting smile.

            "No mistakes this time," his voice dropped down, more serious than she could ever recall hearing as she continued to stare at him, absolutely baffled by the differences the centuries had made to his behavior.

            Right until she felt a taut arm snake around her waist and jerk her back into what was rapidly becoming a very familiar, well-defined chest before Kurama's other arm joined the other, lifting her off her feet and walking her back several steps until he decided there was enough space between her and the growling wolves.

            _You have serious issues about this miko, Kurama_, Hiei couldn't help but observe, still more than a little surprised at just how quickly the kitsune had moved when he noticed the way Kagome's face softened towards the wolf lord.

            "You have serious issues about me and other men, you know that, right?" Kagome obliviously repeated the words Hiei had just spoken, making the hybrid snicker softly in his head when she turned an exasperated frown up at the man holding her so possessively.

            '_I do not trust other men to control themselves around our lover,_' Youko responded primly, turning up his nose arrogantly even as he added his hold to Kurama's and pulled her up tighter against his chest. 

            _How altruistic,_ Hiei's sarcastic remark had Youko giving him a clear impression of a rather crude, suggestive gesture.

            '_I also will not tolerate anyone attempting to draw her eyes into that expression,_' he buried their face against the side of her neck and inhaled deeply, turning golden eyes up to flash a deeper warning at Kouga.  '_It's mine_.'

            Rather than say such things to her, however, he turned his face to press an open-mouthed kiss to the skin below her ear and murmured softly, "You weren't thinking of leaving me without giving me a goodbye kiss after I've been gone for so long, were you, Kagome?"

            '_What the hell?  Kurama!  What are you talking about?_' Youko snapped to attention, fingers splaying to find better, tighter holds in her clothing.  '_She _isn't_ leaving!  We only just got to her!_'

            _Dinner with her _mother_, Youko, if we step between that we'll lose points, trust me_, Kurama sternly put his foot down, reasserting his control with the ruthless direction the kitsune had drilled into him practically from the womb.  _We need to end this on a note that makes sure she's thinking of us and wanting more, not cursing us for being selfish_.  _I am not going to let your impatience put this in jeopardy, and before you say it, no_.

            '_What makes you think I was going to say anything?_' Youko grumbled, very obviously unhappy.

            _I've had you in my head every waking and sleeping moment of my existence, you tend to get to know a person that way,_ he responded sardonically, rubbing his cheek on Kagome's to draw the warmth of her body into his own hungrily.  _Now shut up and help me make the most of it_.  _I want a _good_ kiss, and we won't get it if you're pouting_.

            "If you get a kiss will you stop trying to squeeze me in half?" Kagome squirmed half-heartedly, momentarily toying with the idea of smacking him over the head with Miroku's staff and then kissing his cheek while he was sprawled out, but…   She bit down on her tongue, hoping he couldn't somehow sense the small action even as her hand ghosted a caress over his waist, _Damn you… I did miss you_.

            "I might consider it," Kurama winked at her, determined to make her ignore the wolf lord as Shippou grabbed onto his ear and started to whisper something to him that his expression indicated he wasn't too pleased with.

            '_Probably about Sesshoumaru's permission,_' Youko shrugged it off as unimportant when he felt the faint stroke of Kagome's fingers, grinning and obediently turning all of his attention down on her.  '_Shame on her for trying to be sneaky… she definitely missed us_.'

            _Definitely_, Kurama agreed, unwilling to examine the way the tension across his shoulders eased the longer he held her against him, felt the slow, steady pulse of her heart beating against his chest.  "Although I wish you would agree to come home with me tonight," he was murmuring in her ear before he realized what he was saying.  "I'm tired… and I want to fall asleep holding you against me, listening to your heart beating.  And I want to know what it's like to wake up and watch your sleeping face next to mine where I could reach out and slide my fingers down your cheek, or your hair.  I want to see what color your eyes are when you first open them in the morning."

            Kagome sucked in a breath, eyes wide and lips parting when those words sent a jolt of desire pooling warm and heavy in her stomach, _Wait… shit.  Shit, that's not fair, he isn't supposed to be romantic too-!_

            Shippou had stopped whispering, looking at him as though he'd spontaneously changed into something from the darkest pits of Makai before turning a worried look on Kagome, opening his mouth and closing it quickly, _This is… not good_.

            Hiei was even eyeing him in surprise, not entirely sure if he had pictured kitsune seduction the way Kurama was behaving, but watching it all the same with a sort of morbid fascination when Kagome swore under her breath and let out a sigh that seemed to come all the way from her toes.  Her jaw tightened, voice low and almost inaudible as she admitted her capitulation, "One kiss."

            Kurama's eyes lit up in victory, turning her to face him so quickly she practically fell into his chest and sliding his fingertips across the rose to get her hair released from the fighting style to tumble around her shoulders.  The change made it a simple matter to sink his hand into it and make a loose fist, turning her face up as he wheedled, "Three."

            "One, and if you argue, you don't get that," she insisted, silently hoping he didn't call her on it to find out if it was a bluff or not when she wasn't sure herself, covering her nervousness by passing the shakujou to her brother again.

            Shippou flung out an arm, blocking Kouga when the wolf would have stalked forward to bodily separate them and shaking his head as he hissed out quietly, "Don't.  You'll make him even more neurotic about having her if you interrupt right now."  _Coveting the most sought-after prize… We'd never get rid of him if we tried that_.  _He'd be determined to win just out of spite no matter what she did to discourage the attention_.

            Kurama slanted a look at the other youkai and then at her brother, watching the boy frown in displeasure but stay silent at hearing his sister actually offering the more intimate contact herself, "I can be indulgent, honey… One kiss."

            "What if I said no tongue?" Kagome lowered her voice, not in the mood to have Souta acting as though she'd just traumatized him for life for hearing her banter about such things with what had suddenly become a very amused kitsune.

            "I'd say don't push your luck," his eyes were practically dancing to show he was teasing her, delighting in the simple fact that she had started to play with him and lifting her up on her toes to tilt her head back into the position he wanted as his mouth came to hover over hers.  "I like tongue."

            "You talk enough for me to beli-" Kagome started, her lips curving with her amusement when he grew tired of the flirting half-taunts and finally closed the space between their faces.  And –true to his word- almost immediately parted her lips with his to slip his tongue into her mouth and toy with her own in languorous, unhurried relish.

            '_Now _this_ is a greeting_,' Youko relaxed, mingling their souls as their hands moved to bring her closer, tilting her head to get her mouth opening more readily under his own and make a thorough exploration.  '_Gods, I almost forgot how good she tastes_.'

            Kurama very nearly smiled at just how docile the kitsune half of him became the moment they had her against them like this, the ease of mingling their souls into unified movements that always seemed so strained in other circumstances.  Even more with the way he felt her go boneless against him, one of her hands inching back up into his hair while her tongue snuck out and traced the edges of his teeth to pause briefly at his human-blunted canines before he coaxed it back into play.

            Kagome almost pulled back when she felt her toes being lifted off the ground, would have if he hadn't taken that moment to catch her lower lip in his teeth and nip her before lightly sucking on it to soothe away the sting in a way that had her world tilting crazily on its axis.  Her arms were winding around his neck mindlessly, both hands burying themselves in that fantastic hair as she sighed into his increasingly demanding mouth and let everything fade away but the way he felt and tasted on her tongue, the heat he was so effortlessly sparking in her blood.

            The throat clearing behind her had her abruptly jerking away from the kiss, reality crashing down on her as she tried to reorient her scattered thoughts under the realization that "one kiss" had practically turned into his feast.  Her shoulders rose and fell in a much heavier rhythm as she fought to fill her starving lungs, passion-fogged mind slowly taking stock of the fact that Kurama had been holding her off her feet against him with one arm wrapped under her backside.  Numbly, her eyes traced the other to where it disappeared under the hem of her shirt, his fingers automatically curling under her perusal to prove he'd worked them up under her bra at some point as well.

            "Well… I'm going to go gouge out my eyes now," Souta announced in the rather shocked stillness that had settled on the grove, even the wolves too astounded by the boldness of this kitsune and the reaction he'd managed to get out of their miko to react.  "Who's with me?"

            "That sounds good," Shippou made a face, a little worried over the fact that Kagome was still staring down at Kurama's face, her expression longing and almost… confused?

            "Indeed," Hiei seemed surprised to hear himself speak, frowning and folding his arms to scowl off at some distant point in the trees.  _Are you quite finished?_

            _Not by a long shot_, Kurama assured him, but it was easy to hear that he'd intended a deeper meaning than just referring to the kiss, slowly lowering Kagome back down to stand on her own, keeping her tightly against him to spark even more sensitive nerves to life and smiling faintly when her eyes stayed on his through the entire thing.  The hand still covering her breast turned, giving her a light squeeze to see her blush darken before he reluctantly moved it down to rest on her hip, _But we can be patient… _

            '_I'm willing to give her more time to accept that she's going to be ours completely,_' Youko agreed in a much more mellow tone, purring as he used the hold in her hair to draw her forward and press a light kiss to her forehead before he leaned back and flashed her a boyish grin.  "Compromise… two kisses."

            Kagome blinked, her eyes filled with that same bemusement another moment before they cleared in understanding and she started to laugh, forcing her fingers to untangle from his hair, but unable to stop them from gliding down his jaw when she tried to back away, "You're absolutely shameless."

            Souta reached out and grabbed a chunk of his sister's hair, tugging her backwards firmly when he realized the kitsune was looking at her with that hungry look in his eyes, "I am _so_ not watching you do that again.  One trauma is enough for this lifetime, thank you _very_ much.  SO!  We are going to get in the car and drive home while we pretend I never saw you get felt up in front of a group of youkai by a kitsune with a fanclub that ruined at least three of my relationships, all right?"

            _When he puts it that way, it's actually rather amusing_, Hiei couldn't help but remark, lips twitching at the boy's annoyed expression.

            Kurama could feel his own helplessly amused smile spreading across his face as he folded one arm over his waist, cupping his elbow in his upturned hand and covering his mouth to hide the way he ran his tongue over his teeth, _Actually… I agree with that.  Poor kid_.  _Humans tend to shy away from watching their siblings get romantic_.

            _Takashima doesn't exactly look thrilled to be in your impromptu audience either_, he pointed out.

            '_Neither did you, so already so much in common,_' Youko folded his arms behind his head and leaned back with a smirk.  '_At this rate you'll have a good, healthy relationship that should last_-'

            _I'll convince someone of influence in the human newspaper office to write a story on your baby problem_, Hiei dared him to finish that with a single look, huffing in satisfaction when Kurama shushed Youko from continuing that train of thought.  _I can do it, you know I can_.

            '_Temper, temper_,' Youko clucked his tongue in disapproval.

            Kurama shook his head and decided to ignore them, curling his fingers to rest under his chin as he called out to the blushing boy dragging Kagome away, "Be careful with my lover, Souta-san… I would be most upset if anything were to happen to her."

            As though the words had been a signal, Shippou shook his head and darted after them, shooting Kouga one last warning look before he hurried to catch up, "Souta, wait for me!"

            "Miss me this time, Kagome," the smile he sent her way as her brothers renewed their efforts and practically hauled her away had chills running down her spine, her lips tugging up despite her effort to keep a mild expression.  "Next time I'd like to hear you say it out loud," he explained when he caught that sparkle of curiosity right below the surface, turning it into a blush just as Shippou manipulated the woods around them and had them vanishing from sight.

            "And I thought that idiot she married was bad," Kouga snorted in disgust and turned away, making a motion with his hand to send his wolves returning to the woods and start home for the recovery from their extended trip.  If he'd looked back he would have seen the utter, naked shock flash across both faces, but he never turned to face them as he sighed and shook his head, twisting it from side to side to get the bones to pop and relieve the lingering travel-stiffness, "If he'd lived long enough to meet you, I'm sure you two would have gotten along perfectly.  Ah well… at least there's only one pervert left to get rid of before I can take my woman home, ne?  Ja!" he made a hand motion that could have passed for a wave and vanished into the woods, leaving two youkai too stunned to do more than stare dazedly at the place he'd been standing.


	33. Bet the Red

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -chuckle- Goodness… I certainly seemed to open up a can of worms with that last chapter.  Yes, yes… Our dear beloved Kouga opened his mouth and gave those two all sorts of new hints to start putting together what they want to know.  But, there's still an awful lot that doesn't fit, isn't there?  -innocent sparkling-  Now don't get ahead of yourselves on trying to guess out parts of the plot, but feel free to keep sharing with me.  –snicker-  You have no idea how much I love hearing all that good stuff, and yes, it's getting serious, but you'll just have to wait and see how much.  Just remember… it ain't over yet, and poor Kurama's a lot farther from his goal than he wants to be right now.  Something's gotta stir the pot, ne?

As always, my beautiful, darling junkies, reviewers, and readers, you are fabulous and I love the feedback telling me what you're thinking and liking (and even worried about) with the story.  You're wonderful and completely uber to hear from and talk to, but I know you're starting to get antsy for more answers, even with the quick chapters, so have at it! –bows and blows kisses-

By Any Other Name 

Bet the Red

"I did try to warn you," Kagome winced, gliding the soft-bristled brush with painstaking care and gentleness through the silken strands under her fingers, trying to calm the faint vibration she knew to be a very deep, and potentially deadly growl.  "And I promise not to argue with you for a whole week if you don't yell at her for it or kill Jii-chan."

"This Sesshoumaru believed your words to be an exaggeration," Sesshoumaru sat with his eyes closed, jaw tightly clenched and arms folded over his chest to keep his hands restrained, focusing on Kagome's grooming of his abused hair and tail to soothe his anger.  "And you will not be arguing with my directives for a month for suffering these extreme indignities to my person without punishing those responsible in the fullest level of violence and torture that they deserve."

"I told you I could get the glue out without damaging your hair," she reminded him, trailing her fingers down over his tail and feeling the youki crackle and tug at her palm to bring it closer.  "I had all that practice with Inuyasha before the well closed after Jii-chan decided he liked seeing that he could irritate a hanyou like that without getting his head taken off."

"The calming effect you hold over youkai would be disturbing if it was not a talent I held control of," he snorted, tilting his head back reflexively when her hands moved up into his hair.

_Lovely… I get to deal with his supreme and most Royal Highness in all his irritated and domineering glory,_ Kagome sighed, but refrained from arguing that arrogant remark in favor a few more moments of peace.  It was just his personality to get particularly stuffy and regal whenever his annoyance with something around him raised past a certain level, and she had to admit that having her mother basically assault his tail while her grandfather slapped his worthless ofuda onto Sesshoumaru's unmoved frame counted pretty high up on his ladder.

"I'm sure you understand why I said Shippou should have come along," her lips quirked in amusement she tried to suppress.  "He could have distracted Mama and Jii-chan from 'attacking' you."

"Takashima will accompany us next time," Sesshoumaru informed her in his stereotypical bland tone, pausing before he sighed and added.  "You may also introduce your surrogate children to their extended family.  Perhaps they will provide an adequate buffer to further insults against my body."

Kagome smiled gently at his wording, thinking back to their entrance and his subsequent display of his true self, and the predicted response from her mother and grandfather.  She'd barely managed to grab his hands and stop him before he instinctively lashed out against the creatures that dared to behave with such disrespect, putting herself between the taiyoukai and her family to introduce them to each other formally and smooth over those first tense minutes.

"How did such powerless things create you or your brother, miko?" Sesshoumaru's tone suggested this was a question he had been turning over in his mind for some time before he'd decided he had the wording exactly as he wanted it to be.  "The aura of the house comes from the land, and the Goshinboku when it does not give me an echo of you.  Your brother's ki is also familiar to me, but this-" he lifted one hand to make an elegant gesture around the house.  "They are human without a hint of the magic that poured through you from the beginning."

Kagome's hands stilled in his hair, tilting her head to one side as she considered how to answer and finally let out a sigh as she resumed grooming her most admired head of hair, "I don't know.  Perhaps they had it when they were young and gave all of it into their children, into Souta and me.  For all Jii-chan has the magic power of a brick, his knowledge of legends and such were extremely accurate once I came back and started taking things seriously enough to really talk to him."

There was a comfortable moment of silence, sounds drifting to their sensitive ears from the kitchen where Souta was chattering eagerly about his training and the temple to his attentively listening elders.  While the clink and tap of metal and wood from their mother cooking dinner punctuated the sound of sizzling and running water.

"Or… maybe I sucked it out of them," she finally voiced softly, the words halting and uncertain as one hand moved to press over the still-prominent scar from the Shikon's brutal removal from her body.  "Everyone always said my aura was so strong…"

"Perhaps," Sesshoumaru pondered that explanation.  "But if that were so, it was not something you held control of.  It had fifteen years to lie in peace within you before it was separated from the nest it had chosen for itself, whatever it decided to do in that time was without your understanding."

Kagome blinked, her head tilting to one side, "I never thought to word it that way."

Sesshoumaru glanced back at her over his shoulder, one eyebrow arched high in silent chiding for her oversight, "The jewel has always cried to return to you, miko, why do you think it called to your soul alone across the distances you could sense it?  It was only obvious that it would discern some method to find its way back to the place it called home."

"You think the wish would have involved me no matter who spoke it," Kagome's voice lowered, even knowing that no one within the house could possibly hear them.

"If this Sesshoumaru had cared enough of such pathetic things to make inquiries sooner I would have reached this conclusion," he nodded, following her arm with his eyes to look pointedly at where it rested.  "It continued to beat within you even while outside you, did it not?  You were the only creature able to shatter it, while in addition, your strength increased when fighting those who corrupted its pieces, and the brush of your fingers healed any taint, regardless of it potency.  The evil of the souls inside is quelled by you like a child by its mother, growing angry and violent when you are taken away, but calm and settled when it has you close in hand.  Yes, miko, you and the jewel have always been deeply bonded to each other, and it proved that it was willing to take extreme measures to keep you for itself."

Kagome's eyes slanted away from him, "We were at fault, Sesshoumaru."

"The jewel is a selfish thing, miko," he rose to his feet with silent grace, turning and making a motion with his head that had her nodding and leading him carefully down the hallway to the front door, leading them out into the unlit courtyard.  "Do not make excuses for the consequences you suffered in the hanyou's wishes."

"Miroku thinks I may have called it back," she admitted, closing her eyes for a moment to draw in the energy humming through the sacred grounds before padding towards the well house on bare feet. 

"I am more inclined to believe that the jewel was biding its time to hear words that could be twisted to its advantage," Sesshoumaru's claws brushed across her shoulder blades in a speaking gesture.  "Humans may pretend all they like that they fully understand the workings of magic and all its intricacies, but the truth remains that their knowledge is simply what such magics wish them to know and nothing more."

Kagome sighed and nodded, reaching out to lightly grasp the familiar door and push it open on well-oiled tracks before stepping aside to watch him duck enough to enter ahead of her, "I understand that now."

"Of course you do, miko, you have become more integral to the core of the some of the most powerful magic any of my kind or yours have ever encountered," he rested one hand lightly on the lip of the infamous well, leaning slightly to peer down into the silent, empty depths.  "Even time opened itself to you."

"Not that I asked it to," she wrinkled her nose, hopping up to seat herself on the edge and let her legs dangle over as though preparing to jump in.  Even after all this time of knowing the portal was forever lost to her, old habits died hard, "And it opened for Inuyasha too."

Sesshoumaru's chuckle was low and without any real humor, "Miko, surely you do not think the jewel was willing to take chances in losing your presence entirely?  This Sesshoumaru believes the path was opened for the hanyou to insure there would be no way for you to leave it trapped so far from you.  It knew my half-brother's desire for the jewel and your guilt, and used both to its advantage in returning you time and again."

Kagome blinked up at him for a moment before she chuckled and shook her head, offering him a rueful smile, "You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Your humility never fails to astound me," Kagome bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing outright at the bluntness of his agreement.

"Humility is for creatures who are too weak to back their opinions against others," Sesshoumaru responded without even pausing for consideration, reaching out and resting his hand on the top of her head to feel her aura warm and twine around his.  "This Sesshoumaru has no need to pretend he is unable to do so."

"I guess in a way that's true," Kagome leaned into his hand rather like a puppy to its owner, lips parting as the air around her heated under the rush of youki sparking along her own power.  "But I should have known I could trust you to say it like that."

"Indeed," Sesshoumaru slowly withdrew his hand when he felt a stronger ripple pass up her aura and more actively search his.  Turning aside her attention, he let his arms hang casually at his sides and focused on the ancient wood, "This was the portal?"

"This is it," Kagome sighed, wrapping her arms around herself as she brought the shiver of craving back under control.  "Doesn't look like much, does it?"

"Appearances are generally deceiving," he snorted, bringing his hand up to rest on the hilt of Tensaiga and then giving her a more pointed look.  "The smallest of artifacts can give birth to unspeakable evils, and things that appear delicate and harmless can bring an end to it all."

"Just like the prettiest youkai can be the ones that can take off the heads of everything in a five mile radius before you can blink?" she teased with another small chuckle.

"This Sesshoumaru is not 'pretty,'" he emphasized his distaste on the choice of words.

"You should just accept it, you know, it hasn't changed since the day I met you," Kagome grinned at the scowl he sent her before she sighed and looked back down into the darkness of the well.  "I wonder what it was like for them… after I left, I mean."

Sesshoumaru left her to her brooding, listening to the sounds of the night outside the small hut before he offered in a resigned tone, "Your sons made it easier for them to continue, and the taijiya named their only daughter after you."

This time her smile was wistful, "I wish I could have seen her face when she finally got pregnant.  She wanted it so much…"

"The monk said that the mingling of his blood and yours in your sons was what provided the healing aura to her body," Sesshoumaru lowered himself fluidly to seat himself beside her, facing the opposite direction.  "Whether this is true or not, however, this Sesshoumaru is unable to verify.  Your books did not offer enough insight into human physiology at that time."

Kagome shook her head, leaning back on the wood and staring up at the ceiling, "Those were high-school text books, but I'm sure you would have been ecstatic if I'd had a few college ones in there."

"Advanced works would have been appreciated, yet even those you left in my care were welcome," he nodded once, the action almost painfully regal.  "And were you not the one concerned with leaving this Sesshoumaru with too much knowledge, miko?"

"You might have gotten bored and changed something important," she defended, folding her arms over her chest.

"The idea was tempting."

"I know the feeling," Kagome smiled wryly.  _Funny… I had the chance to change the past and Sesshoumaru could have changed the future._

One of the things she had come to appreciate about Sesshoumaru since they first began the awkward alliance in the past was the taiyoukai's easy acceptance of thoughtful silence, and his ability to sit perfectly still in a way that only Miroku had ever come close to mimicking.  The almost meditative air soothed her jarred nerves in the face of finally showing him the pathway that had taken her to his world, and indirectly led them to hers when the others were rounded up and banished to another realm.  Not to mention the vibration of his youki always ready and available to reach out and wrap around herself with the aching hum of her own aura became too much to bear, a buffer against the events of the past that had left her scarred and broken.

But also alert to draw away before it became too much.

"Your soul is restless more often lately," Sesshoumaru's deep voice blended with the night around them, mixing in rather than disrupting as speech so often did in nature.

"Silly thoughts," Kagome shrugged and tried to brush it aside, her fingers lifting to stroke the sleeping vine around her throat.

Sesshoumaru slanted her a look to show that he wasn't going to be appeased so easily as that, "The kitsune avatar."

"He's not as bad as you and Shippou think he is," she sighed, ducking her head to hide the way her cheeks had gone pink.  "He's just… just-"

"A kitsune."

Kagome winced and nodded, "You know how they are."

"Unfortunately."

"And he did pick me over the jewel," Kagome finally murmured quietly under his unrelenting stare.

"Youko Kurama is a thief of considerable skill, miko, it is possible that he simply believes he can have both," Sesshoumaru turned to stare out the open door towards the shrine grounds.  "And while this Sesshoumaru is not against seeing his death at your hands were he to make an attempt, you would undoubtedly be upset by such a thing after I have seen how… fond you are of him already.  It would be far more productive were you to forget him and force yourself from his thoughts."

"Safer, you mean," Kagome tucked her knees up to her chest and wound her arms around them.  _But… it'd be boring… without him…  And when he's near me, I feel alive again._

"There is an ominous wind in the air recently," he intoned gravely.  "I dislike the _coincidence_ that it was not present until he came into our circles."

Kagome turned to look at him, her own expression slowly changing until it was just as calm and somber as his own, "If he were the source I would know.  He's like any other kitsune, Sesshoumaru, not evil.  He's intense, possibly malicious, and not anything that you could call 'good,' but then… neither are we.  In that, he's harmless."

"And his companions?" Sesshoumaru inquired patiently, slanting her a look to see her eyes turn inward, pupils fading as she called up her soul's impressions.

"I don't have to tell you that Urameshi and Kurabara are nothing to fear," she lifted a hand to press against her chest.  "The other… he's complicated.  I told you he's a crossbreed, fire and ice, but this evening I felt something new.  I'm not sure what it was, but it wasn't something he was born with."

"Dangerous?"

"Probably, but no more than any other youkai," Kagome shook her head.  "He's more tangled than anyone I've felt in a long time, and his capacity for cruelty is close to your own, just less refined.  He has control of himself, though, a very, _very_ honed control, and he is not corrupted."

Sesshoumaru digested that information and finally nodded, "Very well."

"They both like puzzles, Sesshoumaru, they're thieves," she blinked, lifting a hand to her head as she pulled her concentration back out to the present.  "If we give them too little, they'll see it as a challenge, I know you know that.  Shippou told me you were making inquiries in Makai to find out about them."

"I will be leaving to gather what my sources have found once this affair is over," he gestured expansively to their surroundings, answering that is a roundabout way.  "Takashima intends to take you on a hunt in my absence to appease your soul."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Kagome frowned and turned to look at him in confusion.  "What if something happens?  Or if the Reikai hunters feel the same things we're hunting and come to exterminate them?"

"It is a calculated risk," he rose to his feet silently, waiting for her to stand as well before exiting this cursed structure and make his way to the familiar form of the Goshinboku.  "You are no more a peaceful creature than we are, miko.  You need to feel it or you will suffer the ill effects more intensely."

"I suck at hunting," she reminded him, clasping her hands behind her back and looking up at the stars as they walked.

"There is no creature alive more skilled in attracting trouble than you," Sesshoumaru returned archly, chuckling at the look on her face.  "Call them to you if you do not wish to search yourself, you know they will come."

"They always do," she muttered under her breath.

"Lesser fodder are unable to deny the call of the Shikon-no-Tama's power, miko," he paused at the ancient tree, looking up at the perpetually worn spot that marked where his brother had once been sealed.  "Use your advantages as this Sesshoumaru has taught you, but if there is any serious danger, summon me."

"You always say the same thing when I'm going to be killing things," Kagome stepped around him, reaching up to reverently place her palm against that same spot and shivering at the ki rising in answer to her touch.  "If I'm in that much trouble, I don't have to say a word."

Sesshoumaru glanced off at something in the woods, absently expanding his own aura to be certain lesser creatures did not disturb them, "This Sesshoumaru will be listening."

"When are you not?" she smiled back at him.

"Prevention is less time-consuming than cleanup."

"True," she reluctantly stepped away from the tree.  "And if Reikai sends their own cleanup?"

Sesshoumaru looked back at her, his face as stoic as ever, "Kill them."

::………::

            **_That idiot she married_**…**__**

**_            Lived long enough to meet_**…**__**

The words were still ringing loud and clear in his head, echoing over and over as the shadows of night slowly peeled away under the relentless approach of the new dawn.  Words spoken in such careless passing, not a thought given to releasing them into the open air, and not a thought given to the chaos of new questions and unsure emotions they had set loose within his racing mind as the speaker vanished with a speed even Hiei was impressed by.

_She's a widow,_ Kurama wasn't sure how many times he'd repeated that in the last long hours since the wolf lord had granted them that discovery, but he was still unable to keep the awed confusion from his voice.  __

'_A lot of females have lost mates and lovers before ours, Kurama.  It is not so strange a thing,_' Youko pointed out, for once his voice a soothing, steady presence, his usual taunting foregone as they tried to decipher what they were feeling.  '_It had to have been in her past… her eyes don't hold the shadows of one suffering a recent loss of such size, and she would probably have fought us more seriously if she were mourning_.  _Our lover is the loyal type, we've seen that_.'

_Would it have made a difference to us?_ Kurama let out a bitter laugh, rolling onto his back and staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Youko cocked his head, thinking about it seriously before he shrugged, '_We would have approached her differently, but no_._  We've made up our mind to have her, but this will change certain ways that we should pursue her now that we know_.'

_What do you mean?_ Kurama could feel the frown cross his lips, folding his arms absently behind his head.

'_We have been treating her the way we would a young human without experience, but she has already been in love once and had it taken away,_' Youko stretched out in an identical position in their mind, ears twitching as he rolled the words around on his tongue before letting them escape.  '_Our lover needs something special…_'

_I'm half afraid to ask you what you mean by that_, his eyes closed on a sigh.

Youko clucked his tongue in disapproval, '_If you were not being stubborn again, you would know.  Kagome is surrounded by creatures, human and youkai both who care for her and protect her, but she is not intimate with them.  How does our body feel if we have neglected to give ourselves pleasure for a long period of time?_'

Kurama's brows drew together, _You aren't actually suggesting-?_

There was a whisper of fingers passing over his skin, caressing him deep inside as Youko languidly readjusted to sink deeper into them and wind his arms around their soul with his blatant sensuality as he continued to speak, '_Kagome is hungry_.  _I've tried to tell you before that she craved us, but I didn't understand just how true that was_.  _She is a passionate person, even you can feel how much she gives of herself to us when only her lips are opening for ours and letting us inside her… a soul like that burns to have a lover she can give everything to and have given back in return.  For the kind of attention _we_ can give her_.  _Imagine how much she will give to us when we show her that_.'

_She's too young to be as intense as you think she is,_ he tried to tell himself, shaking his head as his mind retraced his favorite images of her, images of her eyes catching the light and shining up into his, or those moments when she flashed a smile that was all for him.  His breath came out low and deep when those changed, bringing back how she had looked under him when Youko had drawn her into the dreaming spell, with her hair fanned out in stark contrast to the futon beneath her, skin glistening, and her entire body seeming to reach out for them. 

Youko chuckled dryly, pulling him out of those thoughts and drawling out, '_Really?_'

_Maybe a little intense_, Kurama admitted and cleared his throat, shifting restlessly under the blankets in reaction to his thoughts.

'_You really should listen to our instincts about her more,_' Youko tsked and shook his head.  '_Have I ever been wrong about something important like this?  I'm telling you, Kurama, she's like us and we should treat her that way_.'

_Like a perverted, reborn kitsune soul escaped from Makai?_

'_Don't be a smartass, you know what I mean_,' Youko made a face of irritation.

_Hiei's right, you're going to get our ass fried_, Kurama covered his eyes with one hand and tried to block out his tumultuous thoughts enough to try and get a little sleep, even though he knew it would be impossible now.

'_I will not,_' Youko turned his nose up in arrogant outrage.  '_She needs us as much as we need her, Kurama, and I'll prove it to you_.'

Blinking suspiciously, he pulled his hand away from his face and frowned, _What do you mean, you'll prove it to me?_

'_I mean I'll prove it to you,_' he shrugged and kept the answer deliberately vague just to irritate his more human half.  '_You don't want to open yourself up to all our secrets, so you'll just have to trust me._'

_Forgive me if I find that statement inspires a deep and abiding fear in my soul_, Kurama rolled his eyes and gave up on sleeping with Youko showing all the signs of working himself into a hyper mood, sitting up as he stared at the neglected bed against the opposite wall.

'_Well _someone's_ in a weird mood_,' Youko scoffed, twitching his tail back and forth in a mild pique.

Kurama nearly fell over, catching himself and turning a scowl inward, _You are _not _one to talk!_  _You're always in a mood!_

'_I take offense to that,_' Youko made a show of turning his back.  '_I'm only "in a mood" because you're being difficult_.  _Where's our coat?_'

_What-?_ Kurama jerked back a bit from that unexpected, jolting change of topic.

'_Our coat, where is it?_' Youko repeated slower, grinning widely when Kurama let out a low growl.  '_Ooh, you're getting better!  A few more months and you're going to sound perfect!_'

He reached up to rub the ache developing behind his temples, reaching out a hand to accept the coat one of his vines brought to him absently and praying it would be enough to distract Youko, _My life does not revolve around pleasing you._

'_It would be more fun if it did,_' Youko slid his arms down to take over their hands, patting down the material until he found the slight bulge and drew it out.  '_Oh good!  He didn't notice!_'

_What?_ Kurama's brows snapped together.  _Youko, what did you-?_

'I_ didn't do anything,_' he held up a finger to stop him, fishing around in the pocket and withdrawing the simple leather wallet with all the conceited presentation he could summon up.  '_This is a gift from Hiei_.'

_A gift or a _gift_, Youko?_ Kurama questioned suspiciously.

'_I'm insulted by the insinuation that-_'

_So Hiei stole it and then you stole it from him?_ Kurama cut him off blandly, trying not to sigh when Youko drew a circle in front of himself with a toe and peeked up through his bangs with a wicked grin.  _Oh good gods, you _are _shameless_.

'_If you aren't curious I can look at it without you_,' Youko shrugged and flipped the cover open to stare at the student card inside, twisting it to face the right direction.

_Right, I'd love to see you attempt that one_, Kurama propped his chin up in his palm while letting Youko keep hold of the other hand to spill out the contents belonging in the wallet of one Higurashi Souta.

'_It'd be worth it to annoy you,_' Youko stuck out his tongue.

_You're the oldest _child_ I know, Youko_.

'_Why thank you… it's good to know I'll be young and fun while you get wrinkles from frowning over stupid things_,' he retorted smartly, flipping a familiar looking card from one of the sleeves and letting out a triumphant sound.  '_Well, well… what do we have here?_'

_Sesshoumaru's card? _Kurama turned it over, blinking when he saw the hand-written numbers scrawled over the blank side.  _That's-_

'_Our lover's private number_,' Youko purred in satisfaction, instantly committing the list to memory and going back to dig through the other pockets.  '_We should call it and say good-morning.  Invite ourselves over to… ah, here's their mother's address!  And a shrine, even…  Neighbors shouldn't be much of an issue then_.'

_We knew it was a shrine already,_ Kurama reminded him, turning to look down at the other cards and sort through them to find anything more of importance.

'_Hm… that's weird_,' Youko was suddenly frowning, drawing Kurama's attention faster than any words could.

_What is it?_

Youko shook his head, '_Nothing… at least… hmm_.'

_Stop that and spit it out already, Youko, you know I hate it when you do that_.

The kitsune flicked a hand in an impatient, dismissive gesture, '_It seems familiar, but I'm not sure where I've heard it before.  We haven't exactly been temple-hopping in Ningenkai_.'

_For obvious reasons_, Kurama poked at him.

'_They can't hurt us like this, it's just not something that interested me,_' he defended loftily.

_You're sure it's familiar?_ Kurama let it go and looked back at the address curiously before moving on to a plastic insert stuffed with pictures.

'_Positive… I'll just have to think about it to remember where I saw it before_,' Youko nodded, folding his arms as he leaned back to brood over that until the pictures caught his eye and he perked up.  '_What have you got?_'

_Nothing special,_ he shook his head, flipping through pictures of the boy with other humans his age and pausing at the boy looking winded and holding a trophy.  _Although now I see how he was keeping pace… he's a runner_.

Youko made a few affirmative sounds in his throat, suspecting that and making a motion to keep flipping through the stack until they reached a picture of a much younger Souta sitting on an equally younger Kagome's back, both his small hands yanking back on her hair and looking like he was whining at her while she tried to focus on a textbook open on the ground in front of her.  He couldn't hold back his chuckle as they reached out and lightly touched a fingertip to the edge of the image, '_That's cute_.'

_You're saying that because you're imagining something besides Souta in that position,_ Kurama accused him, but couldn't stop his own smile as he continued through, mildly surprised by the number of pictures the boy kept of his sister in his wallet.

'_You were doing it too,_' Youko shot right back.  '_It's not hard… silver-hair, ears, tail-_'

_He might have _my_ coloring, Youko_, Kurama shook his head in annoyance.

'_Nah._'

_Thanks for the split second of consideration there,_ his eyebrow twitched, but he stubbornly refused to rise to the bait as Youko snickered in amusement.  _I've _never_ seen any brother idolize their sister this much_.

Youko blinked and looked back at the pictures, frowning and making Kurama stop when he reached one that was taken with a less than professional hand, and at a distance.  Still, it was easy to make out Kagome in a middle-school uniform, holding a bow in perfect stance with a grim expression as she focused on a target slung against one of the smaller trees around the shrine, '_Where did she get those, I wonder…_'

Kurama tilted his head to one side, pausing and looking for what the kitsune could see until his eyes narrowed and he pulled it closer to make out the healing injuries crisscrossing her legs, and the purpling across her face that was nearly hidden in her hair, _She was hurt_.

_'Pretty badly too_,' Youko's voice had lowered to a serious pitch, the growl slowly building in his throat as he took in all the subtleties of the image.  '_A hanyou saved her life, she said…  This must have been after she was attacked then_.  _I can't imagine these youkai taking her being injured lightly_.'

_There are pictures missing_, Kurama frowned after sorting through the stack a second time to double check his suspicion, setting them down and spreading them out to look at each more critically.  _Look…_

Youko leaned forward, arching an eyebrow as he reached up to rest a finger against this jaw thoughtfully, '_The age jump?  I see what you mean.  For a boy who has so many pictures of his sister, suddenly there's nothing, and they start up again and she looks like she does now._'

_And do you see anything that resembles a boyfriend?_ he poured over the images and shook his head.  _Much less a husband_?

'_No_,' his head cocked to one side.  '_Strange…_'

_There's nothing even suggesting Kagome existed during this gap,_ Kurama pointed between the collection of younger pictures, to the ones that were so obviously older.  _This had to be when she was married._

'_Maybe they had the images destroyed out of respect_,' Youko rubbed his chin.  '_Too bad… I wanted to get a look at him, and I wanted to see her eyes when she looked at him-_'

_We need to see Kagome_, Kurama reached down into his jacket to dig out his own cell phone, climbing out of bed and walking to the closet to yank a clean set of pants off their hanger in a rough, edgy motion.  _I want to watch her eyes now that we know this… we can look for something that will tell us how to turn this serious_.

Youko was grinning broadly, fanning his excitement with his own, '_That's more like it!  Finally, you're over the widow thing!_'

_I'm not _over it_, Youko, but you're right that we've been going about this wrong_, Kurama managed to dial and get his jeans fastened at the same time, letting Youko be the one to find a shirt as he pulled the phone to his ear and listened to the other line ring.  _If we want her to take us seriously for a relationship, we need to get her to play with us and have fun, not just be dazzled into bed.  She knows about _that_ side of the coin, so let's try the other one._

'_We're still going to be kissing, right?_' Youko frowned suspiciously at the thought.  '_This isn't some asinine plan that involves not touching, is it?  Because if it is, you can blow it out your-_'

_We're still going to be kissing,_ Kurama cut him off impatiently, his own thoughts racing as he went over his plans and tried to will Kagome to pick up the phone.  _We're going to be spontaneous.  She likes to play, we've seen it… so let's show her she can be that way around us too_.  _She'll trust us more if she knows that we don't need her to be a miko to want her_.

'_And you couldn't think of this before, why?_'

_You were too busy thinking of ways to dazzle her into bed_, Kurama returned in a smug taunt.  _We need her, Youko, let's let her see it_.  _She knows about kitsune, I don't think we'll scare her away by being ourselves_.

'_We're going to push her against the wall and kiss her until she says yes?_' Youko drawled out, being deliberately obtuse just to hear Kurama swear again as he shrugged into the dark, long-sleeved shirt awkwardly around the phone.  '_What?  You said be myself_.'

_Playful_, _but charming,_ Kurama instructed crisply.  _Dammit, Youko, don't be difficult right now, this is _important_.  We'll try it on her today and see how it works,_ he cut off when he heard grumbling through the phone, followed by Kagome's particular brand of creative threats and took a deep breath of relief that she had answered. 

'_I guess it couldn't hurt to try this way_,' Youko grudgingly offered, sitting back and letting a smile curve his lips at hearing her speak.  '_And I _do _want to play with our sexy lover…_'

_Then get off your ass and let's go_.

::………::

"Who in their right mind would call at this time of the morning," Kagome muttered when she caught the numbers flashing on the digital clock, rolling over onto her stomach to fumble around with her discarded jacket until she managed to find the cell phone Sesshoumaru and Shippou insisted she carry.  Frowning at the unfamiliar number and flipping it open, she sighed wearily into the phone as she brought it to her ear and shifted onto her back, "Unless someone is bleeding and on fire, I'm going to strangle you with whatever random item finds its way into my other hand for calling right now."

The low chuckle on the other end had her reflexively jerking to a sitting position even as those honeyed tones purred out, "You are still very sexy when you're being threatening, Kagome."

"Kurama?" her brows snapped together in confusion, shaking her head and looking around the room for something to set her gaze on as her thoughts came out in jumbling speech.  "What are-?  Why did-?  _How_ did you get this number?"

"Hiei says your brother dropped his wallet," he informed her with perfectly feigned innocence as he carefully gathered up the scattered items and stuffed them back into their original pockets.  "I found it on a card inside and decided it would be polite to call and arrange to return it to him."

Kagome blinked and rolled her eyes, leaning back against her headboard and reaching up to rub her hand across her brow, "Did you actually think I would believe that story?"

"Honest truth," he affirmed, flipping through the rest of the pictures as he began to piece together this boy's personality from the images in front of him, just in case. 

"So he's a dessert thief _and_ a pickpocket," Kagome retorted dryly.  "I should tell Sesshoumaru you're bending the rules.  He won't appreciate it, you know, he's very rigid."

"I believe if your dog becomes any more _rigid_ he would be cast from granite," Kurama informed her with a faint smile, glancing down at the pictures once more before letting out a reluctant sigh and replacing them as well.  "And I don't think you actually want to tell on me, do you?"

Kagome stuck her tongue out at the phone.

"I saw that."

"Saw what?" Kagome's brows lifted, trying to make herself sound harmless to the chuckling kitsune.  _Even his laugh is compelling… damn, this isn't fair._

"I'd say I either got a tongue or a finger… but I'm torn over which I want to imagine because either one is going to be fun to bite for revenge," he drew out the retort with expert care, throwing open his window once he had tucked the wallet safely into his front pocket and leapt down to the grass.

Her mouth opened, heart stuttering for a moment as it displayed it's own less than offended surprise at the suggestive response before she swallowed and tried to sound unaffected, "I bite back."

"I hope so."

Kagome blinked, leaning back and staring at the phone in confusion for a second before tentatively bringing it to her ear and observing, "You're… being more blatant."

"Am I?  I hadn't noticed," he crouched, darting through the trees to take advantage of the early hour and stretch his legs a little.  _Hear that?_

'_Yes, yes… she's confused, but is it the good kind?_' Youko chided him, not wanting to get ahead of themselves.

_Don't be a pessimist, you'll see,_ he was nearly preening as he let Youko draw in the ki around them to rejuvenate their energy after the sleepless night.  _She already started joining in_.

_Okay… this is getting strange, why is he being so… so-_, "I'm going to hang up and go back to sleep now, Kura-"

"Let's go to breakfast," Kurama suggested, cutting her off before she could bring the call to an end.

Kagome frowned at the decidedly smug note that entered his voice, "Breakfast?  Today?"

"Of course!"

"When?" 

"Now.  Just the two of us," he cajoled, lowering his voice to a purposefully appealing timbre to skate along her senses the way he had learned worked so well against her in their dream.  "A real date."

Blinking in confusion, she ran her hand through her hair, "Kurama, it's five in the morning, I haven't been up this early since I was in school and you think we should go on a date?  It's dark outside!"

"We'll get something to go and watch the sunrise at a park," Kurama could hear the note of indecision in her voice, gently pushing at the obvious weakness to get his way.

'_Oh, _good_ offer,_' Youko purred in approval.  '_She likes what we can do to grass, we can make her comfortable and see that impressed look on her face, and relax her without doing a thing but healing the ground.  I like this idea._'

_I thought you would_.

'_Remember to get something that will get on her face,_' Youko rubbed his hands together.  '_That way we'll have an excuse to touch her to get it off and then she'll look at us and we can-_'

"I don't know, Kurama, it's really early," Kagome chewed on her lip, not bothering to examine why exactly she was already pushing aside the blankets and headed to her closet.

"I'll make it worth your while, I promise," he assured her with a widening smirk when he heard the clack of plastic behind rustling fabric, knowing he'd won.  "Say yes, Kagome.  Let me take you out without the others to bother us and make it awkward.  I want to show you we can have fun going out together."

_Considering I already have my jeans on,_ Kagome made a face at herself in the mirror as she dug into her drawer for a bra and made her voice as grudging as possible, "Just this once, I'm saying yes-"

"Great!  I'll be waiting as soon as you're ready," Kurama silently celebrated the victory, not giving her a chance to renege on her agreement while Youko let out a throaty chuckle of his own at the success of their tactics.

"Hang on, where?" Kagome hurried to stop him when she felt the impending disconnection.  "Where do you want to meet?

"I'm on the porch," he informed her casually, hanging up the phone and stuffing it back in his pocket before she could react and answer that little gem of information, smiling even wider when his ears picked up the sound of muttering from deep within the otherwise-quiet shrine house.

Something that sounded an awful lot like Kagome's voice saying, "Damn kitsunes."


	34. Chasing Sunlight

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -mutters- They're attacking me again…  Ah well, I can't say I'm unhappy about that, and this is definitely a good spot for this, so I can't exactly complain.  Things are starting to unravel, ne?  More answers and more questions, but we all know that eventually something's gotta give or it just wouldn't be a good story!  -innocent grin-  We'll just have to see what happens.

As ever, I must step back and offer profound love and adoration to my reviewers and all the hysterical (and often crazy) things you say to me.  I have a great time reading each and every one, especially when you tell me favorite parts and things like that.    You're fabulous, and you're the best, but I know from the reviews that you want me to stop talking and get on with the story, so enjoy!

By Any Other Name 

Chasing Sunlight

            Kurama closed his eyes, savoring the silky texture that greeted his fingertips as he let out a low sigh and carefully blocked out his other senses to make the most of this frozen moment.  His heartbeat grew loud in his ears, blood moving thick and heavy in his veins as he whispered to his soul not to rush through something so very intricate and beautiful as that shivering response his touch alone was inciting.

            '_Slowly_,' Youko touched the tip of his tongue to an elongating fang, sliding his hands down into Kurama's to mingle their souls in perfect harmony at that point.

            _Every time you say that, Youko,_ Kurama couldn't help the faint smile that curved his lips under the coaching, colors dancing behind his closed lids as he twisted his fingers in an ancient, timeless pattern with expert precision.  _And have I ever let you down?_

            '_Perhaps the first time_,' Youko chuckled softly.  '_But you are an apt pupil if nothing else… Just as hungry for knowledge and perfection as I am in all regards_.  _Even if you argue with me needlessly over things like this that we both know will bring us pleasure_.'

            _There are times it's more a habit of arguing than intending to disagree seriously,_ his head dipped, allowing his ears to bring them the faint rustle of the wind to mingle with each twitch and pulse beneath his hand.

            Their skin grew incrementally warmer, welcoming the coolness of the predawn breeze against their neck as the light gust grew strong enough to momentarily lift the heavy curtain of blood-red hair away from it.  Only to feel an involuntary gasp rise from their throat when slender fingers insinuated themselves into the thick mass, gliding through it almost reverently and sending a rolling shudder down their spine when just the tips of those curious fingers grazed a line down his back.

            "You make it difficult to concentrate when you do that, Kagome," Kurama breathed out, a note of teasing sliding into his voice.

            "Do you want me to stop?" the smile carried into her voice, painting the expression for his mind when he refused to open his eyes and see it for himself, reluctant to detract from the exquisite sensitivity of his others senses.

            "No," his lips pulled back in a smile as Youko tilted their head to keep them in the path of those hands as long as possible, breathing out a wordless encouragement to repeat the action when the last of his hair slipped away from her.

            "But you said it was making it difficult for you," Kagome chided even as he felt her lift his hair with first one hand and then the other, sinking her fingers into it deeply enough again that the caress touched his spine.

            _You have no idea_, his hands lifted, curling into fists as he shifted his weight back onto his haunches and tilted his head back as far as it could go only to let out a startled shout when she suddenly gripped his hair and pulled to arch his body until he was staring at her upside down.

            Kagome giggled at the look on his face, rising up on her knees and peering over his shoulder in amazement at the path of new growth that had flourished before her eyes under his graceful hands, "That's incredible, you know…"  _It felt… gods, that was so hard not to sink into that feeling_!  _It's like the ground was purified, back to the way it was in Sengoku Jidai before humans lived here_.  Unaware of the way her eyes turned liquid with emotion as her lashes lowered, her lips parted in unconscious desire, _I wanted to taste it…_

            '_She can't possibly understand how difficult she is making this decision of yours to only be _playful_ when she is looking like that at our work_,' Youko growled softly, turning their head as their muscles tensed to hold the awkward position and reaching out to cup her face as he stretched up to press a soft, open-mouthed kiss to her parted lips before reluctantly pulling away from the urge to turn into something more.

            But the blush that covered her cheeks and the searching look she sent them when they drew away had Youko's lips spreading in a truly wicked smile of appreciation inside the safety of their mind.

            "All you have to do is ask, Kagome, and I'll be happy to do this for you," Kurama murmured, sliding his fingers through the grass and smiling at the way the simple action drew her eyes almost longingly to it as the double-meaning hung heavily in his mind.  _This and more to make you mine._  "Since you value my skills in this regard so much more than anyone else I've come across in this time."

            Kagome let out a sound somewhere between regret and amusement, shaking her head as she leaned around him without a single thought to the intimacy that innocent showing of trust projected when her hand came to rest on the ground beside his, "I may not be the best miko that ever existed, Kurama, but I know what purity feels like… and I know when the ground is crying at what it has been forced to suffer."

            Youko blinked, his expression softening and curious at once as his head tilted to one side, "Crying…?  Yes, it-"  '_It does cry, but… how would she know that?_'

            She slanted him a look that clearly said she understood his confusion, but the smile just as easily showed that she wasn't about to satisfy it any time soon, "Are you hungry?"

            There were a hundred different answers to that question clamoring in his head, and he was absolutely certain she could see them pass through the piercing gaze he focused on her, but he forcefully held Youko back and murmured a vague, "Starved."  _She can take it how she likes it, Youko, but don't push.  Look at how unguarded she's being with us already.  I told you… spontaneous and charming_.  _Kagome wants someone to play with her, someone she can have fun with_.

            '_I'm restraining myself and you know it_,' Youko muttered sourly, never taking his eyes off her as she sat back and grabbed the bag holding the breakfast bentos they'd picked up from a small vendor's stand on the way to the park.  '_She's not exactly making this decision easy_.'

            _I'm fully aware of that_, Kurama scooted over to make more room for her when she gave him a nudge with her shoulder and habitually started to spread out the boxed meals to offer one to him.  _Little kisses like the other one are all right, but let's not overdo this yet_.  _Treat this like a first date_.  _Slowly_.

            Youko snorted, leaning them back in a much more relaxed position as Kagome handed them the take-out cup of tea, '_That's a joke, right?  None of your "first dates" were anywhere near as peaceful or enjoyable as this, and I never wanted to do half the things to those pathetic humans that I want to do with this one_.'

            _This _was_ a good idea, wasn't it?_ Kurama was preening, breaking apart his chopsticks and carefully rubbing them together to smooth away any splinters as Kagome did the same.

            '_So was letting her pick the food,_' Youko admitted grudgingly, absently letting their gaze dart around the tree-shrouded grove to ensure their safety before frowning when they caught Kagome doing the same.  '_Hmm…_'

            _You're just happy she eats the same way we do_, Kurama scolded him at the memory of how pleasantly surprised they had been to find her just as picky as they were.  Yet even as he teased his other half, his own eyes were focused on her as well, sharp and calculating at the little things…  Those subtle, telling things about her behavior that had been overlooked so easily when they were lost in the collected actions of the group around them.  She was relaxed, and yet- she wasn't, _She's alert_.  _The same way that we've learned to be_.

            '_Is she so accustomed to being attacked then?_' Youko tilted his head to one side, stealthily flicking his wrist to catch a portion of rolled egg from her box when he let out a surprised yelp to feel her chopsticks smack against his fingers. 

            Kagome gave him and arch look at the attempt, pointing at him sternly with her utensils-turned-weapons, "You have yours."

            "But yours looks more appealing," Kurama tried his damnedest not to laugh with Youko pouting and whining in his head about her 'counter-attack,' but he could tell from the sparkle in her eyes that not only was she faking her anger, but he was failing in his endeavor.

            "You're as bad as Shippou," she clucked her tongue, picking up the piece he'd tried to take and popping it in her mouth out of spite -Youko was sure- before she winked at him.  "Ask next time, Kurama, that might get you better results."

            "Is that so?" one eyebrow lifted at the challenge in her tone, and he carefully schooled his expression into the most humble look he could manage, pressing his hand to his heart and giving her a greatly exaggerated, half bow.  "Then… would you find yourself so moved by pity to share with this poor, hungry, unfortunate kitsune, my dear miko?"

            '_You forgot handsome_.'

            Obligingly, he responded lightly, "I am also handsome."

            Kagome burst out laughing, finding an errant image popping into her head of little ears poking through that fantastic hair and flattening back to complete the "I'm-too-cute-to-resist-and-you-know-it" expression while those eyes seemed to collect the meager pre-dawn light and turn them positively luminous in the exact same way Shippou had done since he was a kit.  "How your kind does it, I'll never know, and I don't think I want to," she finally managed to say as she wound down, shaking her head at the tactic but still obligingly lifting a piece of her own breakfast up to him to reward that creativity of that 'show.'

            _That was, without a doubt, _the_ most shameful thing we've ever done,_ Kurama leaned forward, holding her eyes with his as he accepted the bite of omelet, making sure to lick the empty tips of her chopsticks before returning to his previous position.

            '_Indeed… I'm so proud_,' Youko's chest puffed up at his words, laughing in delight at seeing the color chase across her cheeks again before she tried to hide it by going back to her food.  '_And she's still using them…_'

            _We've kissed her openly, Youko, in public, and she's responded,_ Kurama pointed out, slanting her warm looks in the comfortable silence as he let her have a moment to recover her composure while he basked in his success.  _I don't think she's bothered by the prospect of a second-hand kiss at this stage of our courting_.

            '_Those other times we caught her off-guard and dragged her into it_,' Youko wasn't about to let his observation be spoiled, turning up his nose as he continued.  '_This time, she's not even touching us, but she still offered us food from her chopsticks and is _still_ putting them in her own mouth_.  _You have to admit that's a good sign_.'

            _It's a good sign, Youko_, Kurama admitted with a small smile, helplessly amused that the notorious thief was actually prodding at him to get affirmation over such a thing.  _Especially to humans_.

            '_Should we ask her about her husband?_' Youko made a sound of consideration before shaking his head to answer his own question.  '_No… no, that might put us back.  It'll be better if we keep it to ourselves that we know until she brings it up herself, then we can tell her we already knew and it didn't change our feelings_.  _She'll like that_.'

            Kurama nodded, catching her eyes the next time she snuck a look at him through her own hair and smiling as he lifted a piece of fish towards her to see if she would return the intimacy.  He could have crowed with triumph when she ducked her head, blushing yet again, but shifting her weight to lean and let him feed her in return.

            '_I have an entirely new appreciation for human customs_,' Youko let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes and breathing in that soft, entrancing scent they could only catch when they were so very close to her.

            _Oh? _Kurama made the inquiry for clarification absently, much more focused on keeping Kagome's eyes on his face again as he slid his chopsticks out of her mouth slowly, dragging them across her lower lip and bringing them straight into his own mouth to lick them clean without bothering to pick up anything new.

            Youko let out a low appreciative chuckle, '_As you are so proficiently demonstrating, the subtleties that one can use are so much more expansive.  This is more erotic than my other experiences that involved food and we aren't even touching!_'

            _It's fun, isn't it?_ Kurama grinned widely when she caught the way she was still staring at his lips and muttered a few curses under her breath, turning her back to him to finish eating.

            '_Most definitely, now finish eating… I want to get her in our lap by the time the sun comes up,_' Youko nudged him none-too gently, tail flicking back and forth at the clarity of that image in his own mind.

            Kagome snuck a look back at him over her shoulder when he didn't press her right away, relaxing slightly when she found his eyes closed and head tipped to sip from the tea in his hand, taking advantage of the moment to glide her eyes over the flawless planes of his face and down the line of his throat, _I must be crazy… playing such games with a kitsune, but-  He's doing this for me_.  _And I… I'm enjoying this, with him.  Being alone and sharing food, that kiss…_

            She stopped herself, turning back to stare down at her empty box as she took her lower lip between her teeth and thoughtfully rested her chopsticks against the same spot, _I barely know him, but I want him to kiss me_.  _Everything in me wakes up and reaches for him, not even with-_

            Kurama's hand on her cheek snapped her out of her thoughts before she could finish that, her eyes darting up to meet the soft emerald close to her own when she felt his thumb lightly tug her lip free, "Such a tender thing to be treated so harshly, Kagome."

            Except that this time, instead of the blush they had been expecting, Kagome closed her eyes and let out a subdued laugh, reaching up to curl her fingers around his wrist even as she was setting the chopsticks and box aside.  The next time her eyes opened they seemed to spear right through him, plainly showing her confusion and- yes, that _was _longing! -all rolled into one as they searched for some hint to his own feelings, his motives, "What am I going to do with you… Youko Kurama?"

            A curl of warmth slid down into the pit of their stomach at the way their names rolled off her tongue, brushing it aside to be examined later as that hand made its way back to her nape and used his thumb against the base of her skull to turn her face up when he shifted closer.  There were words that flitted rapidly through his mind, a wealth of things he could possibly say to what he instinctively knew had been a mostly rhetorical question, but finally they gave up on finding any that wouldn't sound contrived or shallow.

            And settled on dipping their head to draw her into a soft, undemanding kiss with only that single hand and his lips in contact with her body.

            Kagome barely caught herself from falling over backwards with just how rapidly her body went cold, and then hot when she found herself a victim of that skilled mouth yet again.  Except this time… this time he was being gentle, almost tender as he carefully traced her lips with the tip of his tongue, never crossing that barrier as he slowly increased the length between breaths and varied the angle until he could press a lighter kiss to her cheek or jaw before returning to his main objective.

            Her resolve was slowly crumbling along with her balance, the hold she still held on his wrist tightening the longer he continued.  There were moments, brief flashes really, when his lips were so soft and coaxing that memories broke through her careful barriers, flooding her mind with thoughts of Miroku and the poignant emotions that went with them… but then he would change.  There was a heat behind Kurama's touch, an urgency to him, a sort of- of raw hunger that radiating from his body to her soul that had never been there between her and her husband.

            Where Miroku had always been careful and solicitous, Kurama was all passion and consuming need; which was not to say that intimacy had been 'strictly business' between herself and the monk, but still… there was something here.

            Something she had never tasted before.

            Kagome's eyes opened for a moment, taking in the closed eyes of the kitsune in front of her as her own flashed darkly under the unfamiliar onslaught of emotions making her body sway towards him, crying to her in its desire to greedily soak in more.  All of it, everything her starving body could pull from and more… but he was holding back this time.  Was he actually waiting for her to give permission?

            Her brows furrowed slightly at the thought, finding herself growing more and more unsatisfied as he danced just at the edge of bringing the kiss to what she truly wanted, only to draw back at the last moment and start the cycle over, _He's… he's teasing me_.

            '_Dammit, Kurama, we can tease her _after_ we're on better terms!  I want to kiss-!_' Youko very nearly threw his hands up in his frustration until Kagome's free hand slid into his hair and tightened into a fist, cutting off whatever the kitsune might have said as she pulled him down at the same time the she slanted her mouth over his and rather forcefully deepened the kiss herself.

            _Well_-?

            '_There are times my love for you is immeasurable,_' Youko obligingly dipped his head in respect for Kurama's tactic before taking over their other arm and winding it tightly around Kagome's waist the drag her up into their lap just the way he wanted.

            _Slowly!  Dammit, Youko-!_ Kurama started, only to cut himself off when Kagome moaned into his mouth and tightened her hold in his hair to the point that he very nearly winced.

            '_You were saying?_' Youko was the one purring smugly this time, sliding their fingers up under the edge of her shirt to trace the waist of her jeans.

            _Shut up and keep kissing_.

            '_I thought so_.'

            Blissfully unaware of the byplay flitting through her partner's head, Kagome was sinking rapidly into the flaring heat of his kiss when she felt his arm snake around her back and lift her with effortless ease to straddle his lap just as he let out something close to a growl and slid his tongue across hers, _Okay, so, definite yes on the permission thing_.  _Good gods, is this just a kitsune skill?!  How does he make me feel so much, so quickly?  Why do I need to touch him so badly that it feels like I'll break apart if I don't?_

            '_If she uses her teeth like that one more time, I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions,_' Youko warned when Kagome caught their lower lip in her teeth and bit down just enough to cause a sting before lightly sucking at the minor injury to soothe it away, causing an answering pull in the pit of their stomach.

            Kurama turned his hand up, digging his fingers into the muscles of her lower back and pressing them together tightly as he freed his mouth and yanked her forward for a much more aggressive kiss, parting her lips with his tongue to savor how she melted and let them in, _We should stop soon_.

            '_Fuck _that_ noise_.'

            _Really… do you want to have sex here?  In the open?  Where _anyone_ could interrupt us?_ Kurama inserted each new question with a harder edge each time he felt the kitsune gearing up to answer.

            '_Adds a certain spice to it, don't you think?_' Youko tried to sound as innocent as he could manage with the way he drew their hand around to stroke across the shivering muscles of her stomach, smiling at the way they contracted even more before those clever fingers were back up under her bra and testing the weight of her breast in his palm.

            _The sun will be coming up in a minute or two,_ Kurama tried to sound determined through the soft groan that made its way out of his own throat when Kagome's back arched to bring her into tighter contact with him.

            '_Good for the sun_.'

            _Do you want to risk her having second thoughts or do you want her to be thinking of us and wanting us to finish what we started?_ Kurama knew there was a slightly desperate edge to his voice as their thumb slowly brushed over the hardened peak, nipping at her lip to keep her close when she twisted under that caress as though uncertain to whether she should be pushing into him for more or pulling away.

            '_You're one to talk… pulling tricks like that when you want _me _to calm us down,_' Youko growled out irritably, but Kurama could tell from the way his head was clearing that the kitsune was reasserting his phenomenal control.

            _If we don't stop now, we won't stop_, he regretfully slid their hand down to curl over her hip and started to draw back before he lost the paltry resistance he had left. 

'_Dammit all to hell and gone_,' Youko took over in a split second, covering Kagome's mouth in a perfectly devouring kiss that was all unchecked emotion and dominating lust for a moment that seemed to go on forever, yet was achingly brief at the same time before he lifted their head and blew out a heavy, shuddering breath.  '_You owe me_,' he muttered a few choice curses under his breath, taking advantage of the daze that last kiss seemed to have put his miko in to lift her up and turn her until her back was molded to his chest, one arm winding tight around her waist, and resting his chin on her shoulder as he waited for her to recover.

Of course… a well placed nuzzle with a nip or a lick thrown in here and there for good measure definitely extended that timeframe enough to mollify his strained temper.

To say nothing of the way his hand had slipped down the front of her body, resting low and possessive against the concave surface of her stomach, stroking his thumb mindlessly back and forth as he sighed and carefully tucked her deeper into his embrace, "The sun is rising."

"Sun?"

Kurama's lips curved in a warm smile at the confusion in her voice, unable to resist catching her earlobe in his teeth for just a moment, tugging lightly before sliding his tongue across it and whispering to her, "You were annoyed with me, remember?  Because the sun wasn't up yet?"

"I might have forgiven you," Kagome forced herself back under control a breath at a time, pulling the seeping, greedy threads of magic back into herself where they pooled and wove themselves undetected through the kitsune-cleansed foliage.  She could feel herself melting back into his embrace, but for the life of her, she just couldn't remember why it was she was supposed to be pushing him away as she let the contact soothe her senses in ways the kitsune probably didn't understand.

He blinked in mild surprise when he felt her hand come up to cover his, thinking she was about to pull it away when her fingers simply threaded with them before letting his palm rest undisturbed against her again.  His mouth opened, a question hovering on the tip of his tongue before Youko closed it quickly with a negative shake of his head, '_Don't._'

_What?_ Kurama frowned at the kitsune's uncharacteristic call for silence.

'_Look at her face, Kurama_,' Youko scolded with a note of disapproval.  '_Let her have the memory she's seeing, I'm content for now to be the arms she'll wake up in and the one she turns to for comfort while we replace them with new memories_.'

_You're sure changing your tune,_ Kurama bit the inside of his cheek, but sighed and unfolded his legs to make more of a cradle for her body, glancing behind him to find a tree before making a motion with his head that spread the roots into a more convenient position to pull her back into.

'_I told you that finding out she has been in love makes things different,_' Youko huffed, lifting their other hand to slide his fingers through her hair, pulling it out from between their bodies to drape it over her shoulder.  '_Some things we can take quickly, other things with more care_.  _We need her to love us… to need us, Kurama, to crave only us_.  _That means we have to become more in her eyes than her past._'

Kurama lapsed into silence as they both turned that over in their mind, sighing deeply in approval as Kagome slowly relaxed and leaned back to drape herself against him, bumping the top of her head against his jaw lightly as she shifted to fit them together comfortably, _I like how she feels against us_.

'_Like she was cut just for us_,' Youko nodded his agreement, moving their hips to deepen the "cradle" and settle her down to be surrounded by their body before looking up at the lightening sky.  '_She's more than we could have dreamed of finding in this ridiculous realm_.'

He laughed softly, squeezing her when he felt her curiosity and shaking his head to show her that it wasn't anything she should be concerned with, _Hiei's right… we're obsessed with her, Youko_.

'_I stand by "fixation," at least for a little longer,_' Youko sighed, turning to look at her thoughtfully as he watched the way the pinks and yellows of dawn painted over her classically pale features with glittering eyes.  '_I'm not ready to admit to more_.'

Kurama arched an eyebrow, _It's not like you to back down like that_.

'_It's also not like us to push things aside rather than examine them for what they are,_' he turned around the accusation with a pointed look, reminding him of the strange reactions and fleeting thoughts they had purposefully ignored rather than pick apart the way they normally would have done the instant they had them.  '_Or did you actually think that I was going to let you get away with hiding that under being "spontaneous?"_'

He tried to turn his mind stubbornly away from the perceptive eyes of his other half, jaw tightening when Youko merely arched an eyebrow at the ridiculous attempt and waited for a response, _What do you want to hear? _

'_That you understand why I'm not inclined to casually toss out a label for my emotions towards our little lover_,' he folded his arms over his chest in a particularly regal action, winding his tail around his own waist in a gesture meant to display he was feeling guarded.  '_The situation is already unique… it has been since the beginning.  I am simply… unsure as to how to approach it as it becomes moreso_.  _But leaving her to another is unacceptable_.'

_You don't think that's obsessed?_ Kurama questioned softly, relaxing a little to realize that both sides were again in agreement over this matter.  _You feel it too, don't you?  That calmness we get when she's in our arms like this?  That sense of contentment we've never quite pinned down no matter what we've tried?_

Youko shook his head, sliding back down firmly in their body and holding her close as he ignored the accusations.

_Youko_-

'_I said I don't want to think about it right now_,' he growled back in a dark, flat tone, burying their face against her hair to use chasing that elusive scent as a distraction to his discomfort.

Kurama blew out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes when he felt Kagome's hand come up and slide into his hair, gently massaging his scalp as she turned and lightly kissed the corner of his mouth, "You're upset."

"It's nothing that you should worry about, Kagome," he let out a soft, warm laugh and leaned up, bringing up the hand not on her stomach to brush his knuckles across her cheek even as they silently marveled over her ability to read their mood.  "I'm just frustrated with things I can't control."

Her lips kicked up in an understanding smile and she leaned back into his chest, tilting her chin down as her own eyes drifted closed again, "You know… someone once taught me that there are times when you don't have to be thinking of anything at all.  Times to just sit and think of absolutely nothing except the things around you from moment to moment.  The wind, the ground… the sun."

"Meditation," Kurama's lips curved up as he slipped through his list of her acquaintances and finally settled on Sesshoumaru being the one most likely to teach her something the required that kind of focus.

"In a way," she nodded in acknowledgement.  "But… he was right, and it makes for less headaches when things get too intense."

"Is that a hint, little lover?" Kurama could feel Youko's lips tugging up in a reluctant smile at the feel of her elbow coming back to nudge his stomach, his temper calming under the playful curve of her lips.

She twisted to smile up at him, the sun breaking the line of the trees just as she opened her eyes to meet his and nearly making him jerk back at the way the angle made her pupils almost nonexistent, that inhuman blue almost seeming to glow in the reflective, piercing light, "Dawn is intense enough without adding unnecessary thoughts."

Kurama was practically frozen, transfixed by that unreal sight even as Youko was lifting their hand to cup her face, tilting their head and letting their hair spill down over his shoulder to mingle with hers.  His eyes intently searched her own, memorizing the play of light and color with the deep knowledge hovering below the surface, "How are you human?"

_Youko!_ Kurama hissed at that softly breathed question, biting his lip when he saw Kagome's expression change to something unreadable.  _You're going to upset her after we made such progress!_

'_I need to hear this_.'

Kagome's eyes studied his for a moment, trying to see past the shadows being cast by his bangs as her hand lifted to absently stroke along his forearm soothingly, _He is… unsettled.  Is he…?  No, he can't tell_.  "Just born that way," she offered quietly, turning her gaze out to the sun as the blinding light momentarily made it difficult to see the buildings, and she changed the subject with a wistful sigh.  "It's beautiful, isn't it?  You can almost pretend it's nothing but forest as far as the eye can see when the sun first comes up."

Kurama's eyes stayed on her profile, watching the glassy look enter her eyes, taking in the very deep, very real longing in her voice as she whispered that impression with a sense of confused awe, _I… don't know what to say to that_.

Youko gathered her up higher against him, lifting her as he slid their legs closed and let her straddle their lap as he dipped his head to whisper in her ear, "More beautiful than I expected it to be."

Kagome blinked in surprise and leaned to be able to turn enough that she could look at his face as his eyes flashed gold with the light, finally letting out a soft laugh and brushing his hair out of his face just to watch it fall back, "Shinju's right… you're a smooth talker of the highest caliber."

Kurama's eyes widened, but just as quickly settled into a more at ease expression with the return of that light-hearted humor as he pasted on a hurt expression, "Kagome, you wound me."

"Mm, if I 'wounded' you, you would know it," she poked him in the chest, pulling out of his arms and rolling to her feet with a fluid grace that bespoke years of serious dedication to learning just how to move her body.  He watched her attentively as she linked her fingers in front of her and lifted her arms straight up over her head, arching her back in a lengthening stretch that filled the stillness of morning with the faint pop and grind of bones releasing their stiffness before her eyes turned uncertainly in the direction of her shrine.

"I have utmost faith in your destructive capabilities," Youko smoothly inserted as he pushed them up, liking the way she lost her focus on the distant point to turn to him.  The way she had to tilt her head to look up at them as it gave her a more vulnerable appearance, particularly the way it exposed the line of her throat to the finger his was using to trace up the line of her pulse, '_That's right, little lover, stop thinking about being away from us_.  _Your family can survive a morning without having you directly under their hands_.'

Kagome laughed, reaching up to catch his hand and take it away from her skin before she did something stupid, "Coming from a youkai who has never seen me do anything of that nature, that's quite a leap of faith."

He shook his head, using her hold on his hand to lift them up at eyelevel as he took it in both of his and traced the shape of her fingers in a slow caress, "I can see it… in your hands."

"My hands?" the urge to jerk it away way there, but he seemed to sense it, gripping her wrist and turning it palm up as he pressed a lingering kiss to the highly sensitive skin there.

Youko smiled darkly when he felt the shiver move down her arm just from that, tracing the lines in her skin with the tip of his tongue to draw her attention away from ending their morning date the way he could see her guilt was pushing her to do.  He ignored Kurama demanding to know what he was doing, the hissed insistence that he stop, and cracked one golden eye open to watch the way her lips parted when he expanded the path of his tongue up along her middle finger.  Her eyes darkened almost to violet as her breath came out in a low, controlled exhalation that told him louder than words that he had been right about her hands being as erotic for her as they were for him, bringing a smug smile to his lips as he nipped that same finger before lightly sucking the tip and moving on to continue his exploration.

"Kurama," her voice had a note of pleading, whisper soft and moving through his senses like a caress all it's own, but with a note in it that suggested she wasn't exactly sure what she was asking him for.

He slowly laced his fingers through hers once he'd momentarily satisfied his compulsion to introduce his soul to each of those delicate lines and the unique flavor of her skin, pulling her forward to whisper in her ear with perfect seriousness, "Do you have any idea how much I love your hands?"

_Hands, _Kagome stared up at him, unaware of the flush that had risen in her cheeks that had nothing to do with embarrassment as she let herself be drawn in by those gleaming eyes, predatory eyes…  _Out of anything he could have said… he picked my hands?  Does he… is he really serious about having something deeper?_  _Maybe it's just his fetish.  Shippou has that bizarre thing with collarbones-_

"Ah, so here's where you ran off to," Hiei's voice had their heads snapping up to where the hybrid was smirking down at them, crouched on the lowest branch above them and obviously delighted that they'd been so wrapped up in their little drama that he'd managed to sneak up on them.  "I wondered why Takashima was running circles around Yuusuke's house at such an ungodly hour of the morning."

Kagome smacked a hand over her eyes with a groan, even as Kurama made a motion with his hand that had the tree throwing Hiei off violently, "Oh shit, I forgot… I promised him that I'd spend the day with him after Sesshoumaru left to hear his reports from the other branches."

Hiei twisted around to land with perfect ease on the other side of Kagome, using her as a shield against the anger he could see burning in those gold eyes, and folding his arms behind his head with deceptive carelessness, "If I found you, he's likely not far behind."

'_You little bitch, you led him here!_' Youko hissed out and tried to push past Kurama's control to wipe that smirk off the hybrid's face.  '_You _knew _I was having a private moment with Kagome!_'

_I suspected, I wasn't sure,_ he shrugged in a blasé fashion, curiously watching as the empty miko brushed past them and painstakingly gathered up everything they had brought to the park before carting it to a waste bin and throwing it out.  _Cute, she's a neat-freak like you are when it comes to outside_, he ducked under the kick Youko managed to sneak under Kurama's hold and aim at his head, turning around just in time to see a blur dart out of the trees and crash into Kagome, hoisting her up with a shriek.

"_SHIPPOU!!  DAMMIT, _you're not Kouga-kun, put me down!" Kagome twisted her legs around and somehow managed to wrap them around his chest only to fling her entire weight into yanking them backwards, bringing the younger kitsune crashing hard to the ground on his back while she bounded to her feet and glared down at him.  All so quickly that if they'd blinked they would have missed it, "MOU!"

Youko broke into delighted laughter while Kurama continued to stare and even Hiei was blinking as he put that attack to the image of the small, 'not-so-good' miko he had formed in their interactions, '_See?  Are you ready to believe me yet?  Gods, that was beautiful!  Let's go kiss her again!_'

Kurama blinked and recovered, eyes softening as he watched her toss her hair back over her shoulder in a strangely imposing motion, reaching out a hand to help a loudly protesting Shippou to his feet only to swat him on the head as soon as he was up, _Well _you_ certainly bounced right back from your hissy-fit_.

'_You can't keep a kitsune down any longer than he wants to be down_,' Youko nodded, eyeing the pair of them speculatively when Shippou gave her a deep, obviously apologetic bow and straightened, rubbing the back of his head with a rueful smile as they shared a few more soft words.

Hiei shook off his surprise and frowned, raking her body appraisingly, _A human should not have the strength to throw a youkai his age in such a way._

_Taijiya lines, Hiei, you know they have ways of training that make such things possible,_ Kurama reminded him, tired of being excluded from the conversation and striding across the grass, nearly laughing when Shippou tensed at his approach and put himself in between them.  "A little late for that, don't you think?" he taunted smoothly.

"It's never too late to save my sister from your presence," Shippou's lip curled in distaste, the growl vibrating in his throat as his eyes flashed a deeper warning.

Before Kurama could respond to that, Shippou let out a yelp and bent over backwards from the hold Kagome had on his hair, giving him a dry look from that position and making the older kitsune chuckle at her method of gaining attention, "I've had a lovely morning, Shippou-chan… are you trying to spoil it for me?"

_I'm starting to believe that this might actually be the one human female who could possibly bear you a child and not only retain her sanity, but actually manage to control the psychosis it will, no doubt, inherit from you_, Hiei grudgingly admitted when Shippou balked, but still muttered out his assurances that he wasn't planning on making the morning difficult.

'_She's a natural with them, isn't she?_' Youko purred out warmly, drawing their eyes back to her hands and taking a moment to relive their activities before Hiei cleared his throat to remind him that he was picking up anything that spilled over and didn't appreciate it.

_You were licking her hand?_ Hiei arched an eyebrow.

'_She liked it_.'

_Last time you tried that she wanted to take your head off,_ he reminded the kitsune in a sardonic tone.

'_It's all in the delivery,_' Youko turned his nose up arrogantly.  '_We have had a _very _good morning with our lover, and more importantly, she has had a very good morning with us as well_.  _We fed each other breakfast, then we fooled around a little until the sun came up and watched it together_.'

Kurama had to bite his tongue against the urge to laugh at how proud of himself the kitsune sounded when he'd been the one arguing about the merits of his plans up until things started to go well, We_ like being alone with her, even if nothing is being said or done_.  _That's what we wanted to find out this morning_.

Youko carefully shielded his mocking, '_Is that what you're telling yourself to make it more productive?_'

_There are times I like you better when you're annoyed and giving me the silent treatment,_ Kurama hissed at him.

_Testing compatibility beyond your lustful obsession?_ Hiei snorted, oblivious to their byplay as he glanced at Kagome again when she released Shippou and ruffled his hair before giving him a hug that had the smile right back on his face as though it had never left.

_It helps to know that we actually like the soon-to-be mother of our children outside 'lustful obsession,' as you so crassly put it_, Kurama sighed and gave the hybrid a pointed glare.

_So you're finally admitting it's extended beyond a fixation? _he smirked and turned a triumphant look at the scowling kitsune.

_I am not obsessed, I am merely making sure that all ends are covered before proceeding,_ Kurama insisted stubbornly.

'_Liar_… _you admitted to me you thought it had reached-_'

_I don't care if Hiei can't hear that, Youko, knock it off_, Kurama bit out, folding his arms over his chest as he caught Shippou's eyes.  "Is there a reason you're interrupting, kit?"

Shippou turned, winding his arm around Kagome and pulling her up against his chest as his lip curled up off purposely visible fangs for a moment, "Nee-chan's mine for today, she already promised.  We have to visit ancestral grounds and pay our respects."

"Is that so?" Kurama's brows lifted curiously as he felt Hiei's interest perk as well.

"_Alone_," Shippou emphasized with a tone that didn't leave the slightest room for negotiation.  "This is more of that stuff where if you follow, you're in breach of contract, and you'll be banished from the Western Lands, understood?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "If you two are finished polluting the air with enough testosterone to kill a hoard of virgins, we can handle this much more conveniently."

_Did I mention that I decided to like this empty miko?_ Hiei maintained his outward bland expression, but Kurama could hear the snickering loud and clear as it echoed through his head at the chagrined expressions she had so easily put on both their faces.

_Drugged and naked in Kurabara's bed, Hiei,_ Kurama shot him another quelling look that was predictably ignored.  _I can make it happen_.

Shippou was pouting as she extricated herself from his hold, folding his arms over his chest and glaring off to the side in a pose that she attributed solely to one bad-tempered hanyou, "Ch."

Ignoring him, she reached out and absently took Kurama's hand, drawing him out of his staring contest with Hiei to look down at her inquiringly, "I _did_ promise, and we _do_ have serious work to do today, so he's right.  But I'm glad I came out to breakfast with you, and you were right, we can have fun together."

Youko was in danger of cracking a rib if his chest puffed out any more, or at the very least going over backwards with the way he had gone into what Kurama recognized as the kitsune as his arrogant best.

Kurama tried his hardest to block out the amusing image as he tugged Kagome forward, winding his arms around her waist and fitting her up tightly against his chest to murmur in her ear, "I did promise I'd make it up to you, remember?  And I always keep my promises, Kagome."

She returned the embrace with a hard squeeze, stretching up on her toes to press a kiss just below his ear and whisper to him again, "What am I going to do with you, Youko Kurama?"

That was enough to pull a widening smirk from his as well, eyes flashing gold as he leaned down to return the favor as he held Shippou's gaze and offered a response to that question this time, "You could fall desperately in love with me and agree to bear my children."

Kagome laughed and pushed out of his arms as she felt the prick of tears against the back of her eyes, forcing nostalgic feelings down as she turned a dazzling smile up at him and stepped back into the protective hold of the younger kitsune, "No rush, Kurama… but I'll remember that."

Shippou muttered a few curses under his breath, lifting Kagome onto his shoulder unresisting this time, his rollerblades appeared in a puff of smoke as he leapt easily to the cement path winding back towards the city to push off and get a comfortable distance between them and the grinning kitsune, "Nee-san, don't make such rash statements before you talk to me about them.  He thinks you're encouraging him."

Kagome sighed, propping herself up to watch Kurama's still figure until Shippou rounded a bend to put them out of sight and took to the trees for a faster route towards their forestland, settling in for the ride as she murmured thoughtfully, "That's just it, Shippou…  I think I am."


	35. A Little Slice of Hell

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  My goodness… This chapter turned into the biggest beast yet!!  -rubs head and shrugs with a nervous chuckle-  There were just so much that had to happen, and I _could _have cut it in half, but well… it works better this way, I suppose.  Although I have a terrible sinking sensation that I'm going to have to hide from Kazusa and a few more after this…

Ah, now to my usual thankings…  My beautiful junkies, my reviewers, my worshippers.  –giggles, that worshipping and kissing and all those things still crack me up-  As you no doubt realize, I adore you and love you.  You provide me with such entertainment and uber warm fuzziness with your sweet words and compliments.  I love hearing what your thoughts are and what you enjoy, and I hope that you continue to enjoy this horribly twisted mess of a story that is being beaten out of my head.  I really am having much too much fun writing it.   

By Any Other Name 

A Little Slice of Hell

            Kagome sighed and brushed the back of her hand across her forehead as she tossed the long-sleeved sweater she had worn earlier off to the side, tightening her grip on Miroku's shakujou and lifting her eyes to the sun making its lazy way across the clear blue sky.  She felt the ground shudder, drawing her attention back to Shippou as the centipede youkai they'd jointly ripped into no less than six pieces crashed thunderously to the blood-slick grass of their temporary practice field.

            _Five years ago I would have been sweating by now_, she reached up to lightly touch her face, able to smell the noxious corruption in the black blood making her skin feel wet under her searching fingers, but fully aware of the absence of any other fluids normally caused under such lengthy exertions.

            A sigh worked its way from her chest as she reached into the pocket of her torn jeans and removed a clean ofuda, passing along her energy in a crackle of violet and pink until the heavy paper took on a razor edge, "_Seibai!_"

            "Hup!" Shippou flipped out of the way the moment he felt the spell she'd cast in that single ward sweep out across the clearing, gathering youki as it was forcefully thrown dead center to the remaining creature's heart.  The magic made a wide arc, leaving the separate pieces of the first bursting into flames in its wake as a low, rumbling scream of denial and agony echoing down the mountainside.  The ofuda's light grew stronger, forcing Shippou to hold up an arm and shield his eyes when the purifying energy incinerated the massive body as though it had never been.

            He dropped silently to the ground beside her, grinning as he flicked the dual wakizashis in _chiburi_ before he gave them a flashy twirl and stuffed them back into the sheaths at his belt, "Heh… that makes fourteen, Nee-san, want to stop for lunch?"

            One brow kicked up, looking around at all the blood before she leaned her weight on the staff and gave him one of her most dry expressions, "How many times have we had this discussion?"

            Shippou reached up and rubbed the back of his hand with a frown, "Eighty-six, but it's not so bad in this one with the wind blowing the right direction, we don't have to smell it and there are plenty of rocks to sit on."

            "No."

            He sighed heavily and nodded, "All right, all right, I guess I can wait a little longer while we find a spot with less guts and such in the grass."

            "That's a good thing considering if I'm in the mood, I can tell you that we won't stop for another hour or more," Kagome chuckled, bending down to scoop up a smaller version of the pack she had once carted all over creation in Sengoku Jidai.  "Honestly, Shippou, when did you start putting away every edible thing in sight?"

            "Puberty," Shippou grinned widely, showing off the fangs he knew she thought were too cute to deny as he trotted after her with his tail flicking back and forth.  "I hit a growth spurt and Kouga said I was worse to support than a whole litter."

            "I believe it," she shook her head and shot him a look over her shoulder as he caught up and walked beside her up the unpaved trail leading deeper into the woods.  "Do you have any idea what the grocery bill has been since you moved into the temple with us?"

            He shrugged it aside casually, "I make enough to pay it, so why should I bother with looking at that?  Shinju handles the finances for the most part, he's got the head for them, and they bore me to tears.  I mean, c'mon… Miroku's know-how mixed with your restraint to stop him from throwing it away on little things like women and sake?  He's practically a dictator that way, and we've never had problems."

            "And here I thought Koji-chan handled accounting," Kagome laughed softly, unable to stop the smile that crossed her face at hearing Shippou speak so fondly of the shared traits present in her descendants.  _He said they always look… like it's a game to see what's there from Miroku and what's mine.  But the way he speaks of Shinju…_

            "She handles the company stuff, but I like Shinju's style.  He's the most like Kazenatsu from the ones that came before him," Shippou continued in a softer tone, sneaking her a look to see how she took that information before he continued.  "Sesshoumaru even said-" he paused, looking uncertain for a moment before he shook off his qualms and continued, "he said that Shinju and Hitokaze might be reincarnations…"  _That Miroku might have pulled some strings to have them reborn so they could know you._

            Kagome stopped walking, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath and tried to banish the sudden tightness that gripped her throat over what she could sense he couldn't say, _Reincarnations_.

            "B-but we can't be sure of that!" Shippou rushed out nervously when he saw the expression on her face, blanching and nervously casting about for something he could say that would ease the pained look.  "It-it was just an idea-!"

            "It's all right, Shippou-chan," Kagome assured him with another quiet laugh, reaching out to grasp his arm and bring a stop to his stuttering tirade.  "It's getting easier, knowing they were happy when they lived.  And you're right… if Miroku has any influence of that kind, he would try to do something like that."  _He told me often enough that he never wanted his sons to forget their mother.  He said… he would find a way to share it with me_.

            _And a soul such as yours is easy to follow, my beautiful Tama_.

            Kagome's head snapped up, instantly alert to every nuance of their surroundings as Shippou went still in pure reflex, weapons in hand and placing himself protectively at her side at the tension suddenly radiating through her aura, "Kagome?  Kagome, what is it?"

            Her eyes narrowed, bringing her focus inward when the immediate area failed to offer up anything that could have possibly snuck past her mental defenses in such a way, lifting a hand to her heart as she painstaking searched for the source, _You again_…

            _Did you doubt that I would return?  I told you to dream of me, but imagine my surprise to find myself facing a new opponent when I have come into your mind in the darkness_.

            _Kurama_, Kagome's eyes went wide, fists abruptly clenching under the urge to growl even as her mind told her rationally that the sound was not nearly as impressive from her throat as from a youkai's.  _You sick bastard… you're watching me dream about Kurama?!_

            "Kagome?" Shippou frowned sharply when she remained unresponsive, and even more when the woods around them slowly began to go still, a little at a time until they were completely surrounded by heavy silence.

            _He cannot satisfy you, miko, not the ways I can_.

            _You're flattering yourself if you think you know anything about what 'satisfies' me, onryou_.

            _Ah_,_ so you think to name me a spirit after all?_

_            You're nothing but a voice making its way into my head_, Kagome's eyes closed, unaware of the wisps of energy snaking up around her ankles as her soul instinctively called to the energy around it, gathering it closer.  _If you think_-

            The vagueness in her mind shifted, malicious jyaki pouring into her so abruptly that she stumbled back a step with a strangled sound, gripping her throat as her knees buckled and left her choking in the grass, _I have told you that you should remember the man who should have been your lover, Tama… but you do not seem to be listening_.  _To hear you speak so disrespectfully of your master-_

            _We killed Naraku centuries ago, and he was never my master_.

            _Naraku was a fool_.

            "_NEE-SAN!_" Shippou was on his knees at her side in an instant, one sword still held at ready as his eyes darted around the trees in frustrated anger, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders as he shook her in his effort to snap her out of whatever was happening.  "Where is it?  Kagome, where is it coming from?"

            _Yes, Tama, where am I coming at you from?  Can you feel me?  I can feel you; I can always feel you crying out for me_…

            _Don't get arrogant with me, asshole, I'm not a toy and I won't be played with this way_, this time Kagome gave into the urge to growl, lips pulling back in a twisted snarl as she forced her jaw to stop clenching long enough to let her suck a deep breath into her aching lungs.

            "It's… inside my head…" Kagome managed to grit out when she sensed the way Shippou's panic was increasing at his helplessness, the hand over her heart pressing inward so hard that her nails left five perfect cuts through the fabric of her shirt and into the skin as the circle her fingertips had made shrunk with her clenching fist.

            "That's impossible!" Shippou's eyes went wide in alarm.

            _I'll play with you any way that I please_, the voice hardened again as her aura fluctuated and sparked with her intrinsic energy, purification heating the air around her to a point that Shippou automatically leaned away.  _I have been searching for you, Tama… calling for you since I found you again_.  _Haven't you heard me?_

            _Do not call me that disgusting nickname_, Kagome seethed when she felt that presence tenaciously tighten its grip against her efforts to push it out.  _It wasn't true then, and it isn't true now_.

            _But it is…_ the whisper came close at her ear, making her aura flare wildly as she rocked back on her heels, gripping her shakujou and pulling herself to her feet while she expanded her energy to melt away more of that crushing jyaki.  Undaunted by its loosening hold, it pressed on, _You were always the one they should have been hunting… so very precious, miko_.  _Living beauty and raw power instead of a cold thing at war with its own souls_-

            _I think I gave you too much credit,_ Kagome let out a bitter laugh and cut it off, straightening her spine as she heard Shippou whisper her name in confused fear at her side.  She lifted her free hand to press her forefinger between her eyes and open her other senses until the weakness it was causing her faded away, _You're no ghost.  To say such things… to prove to me that you understand nothing, a ghost would at least understand what creatures that have walked the boundary of life and death can already see_.

            _Oh I understand more than you care to admit to yourself,_ it assured her in a low, oily purr that made her chin lift in reflexive disgust, eyes glassy and vague when she felt the jyaki flowing steadily to escape her attack, collecting at a point beyond the ancient trees where the forest had again opened up to give it more space as it grew stronger with every pulse.

            Shippou rose warily, both wakizashis again in hand as he faced the ripple that was expanding out from that space and sliding his feet into a wider stance before sneaking a look at Kagome's stoic expression when her skin started to pale and shimmer faintly, "What's going on?"

            _I will not allow you to ignore me when I have followed you for so long and fought so hard to have you for my own_.

            _Come and get me then_, Kagome abruptly spun the shakujou across the air in front of her, slicing the jyaki in half to interrupt its growth as the flood of her purifying energy poured through her soul and dislodged that hissing voice from her mind in one violent swoop.  _I don't hide myself from cowards_.

            "What the hell is going on?!" Shippou demanded louder, stepping back to come shoulder to shoulder with her when a faint glow followed the path the shakujou had made, pooling at one end and falling to the grass almost as if the very air had begun to bleed.

            "I think we're about to have more than training," Kagome's jaw tightened as she regarded the odd vibrations making the natural ki around them bow outwards under an unseen pressure.

            He slanted her a serious look when the wind changed direction, pulling towards the anomalous line amidst the stagnating jyaki, "From something that attacked _your_ mind?"

            Kagome nodding grimly, keeping careful watch over that spot as she jammed the end of the shakujou into the ground and reached into the bag to dig out the gloves Sango had left for her.  After double-checking the hidden blades sewn into the forearm guards, she threw the bag carelessly in the direction of the trees and flexed her hands to be sure they were tight enough before reaching for the staff, "It _tried_… there's a difference.  But it's not speaking in my mind, Shippou, that's the problem.  It's getting in another way."

            "Something we missed?" he stayed alert, trying not to show his discomfiture at how relaxed she seemed on the heels of the blatant assault, shaking his head as he cursed everything from the past that had developed this behavior.

            "Something both sides missed," Kagome frowned deeply at the thought, forcefully cooling her soul when she felt a streak of heat chase a circle between her shoulder blades.  "Dammit, and I was in such a good mood too."

            Despite the gravity of the situation, Shippou let out a chuckle and smiled back at her, "Careful, Nee-san, they'll start to accuse you of spending too much time with me if you react to serious things like that."

            "You're lucky I don't pull a Sesshoumaru and just try to level the whole mountain because it's the fastest way to victory," Kagome pointed out, snapping back into complete seriousness when the oppressive silence was broken by a low, drawing hiss that was too reminiscent to the sound of Naraku's miasma for her peace of mind.  _Who _is _this?!_

            "So much for not drawing attention to Makai that you're still around," Shippou grumbled under his breath when the air in front of them ripped in half with a high-pitched, metallic scream of something more than human.  His nose wrinkled at the distinctive aroma of the youkai realm as a wave of over-heated air blasted through the grove with enough force to make the trees groan in protest.

            Kagome could feel her soul give a heavy pulse in answer, reaching out just as the neutralizing magic that had allowed the barrier to be breached faded and let the jyaki gathered on the other side race out into the woods like a roiling fog, "Look at the bright side, Shippou."

            Shippou let the last of his illusion vanish, gathering his own youki and sliding into a crouch when the portal cleared to show him the number of oni and youkai fighting amongst themselves beyond the tear, "You aren't wearing any of my good pants?"

            She rolled her eyes, reaching into her pocket to dig out three ofuda and charge them with her power, "They might kill us."

            "How is that a good thing?" he arched an eyebrow, obediently holding up his swords when she flicked her fingers and sent two of the charms to affix themselves to the blades.

            "There's no better way to be sure we aren't getting weaker than to not let them," Kagome smiled coldly, drawing back her arm and throwing that last ofuda into the heart of the mass as hard as she could.

::………::

            "Koenma, we have only just finished our last mission, you had better not be expecting us to leave again so soon," Kurama frowned as he eyed the deity pacing the length of his desk and muttering to himself as he reluctantly followed Botan into the office with Hiei and a darkly swearing Yuusuke in tow.

            Koenma had barely opened his mouth to answer when a low chuckle had them all spinning around to see the monk from the Hall of Records leaning casually against the wall, eyes closed and arms folded deep into the sleeves of his robes, "And hello to you as well, Youko Kurama."

            '_Well, well… _this_ is certainly an unexpected turn of events,_' Youko brightened considerably at finding such a welcome distraction to the absence of Kagome, eagerly leaning forward to listen for what had brought on the impromptu meeting.  '_What could we have done that earned us another meeting so quickly?_'

            "Houshi-sama?" Yuusuke's swearing stopped instantly, looking up at the ceiling warily as his defenses rose at the memory of their last meeting.

            He chuckled and drew one hand out to make an absent gesture that slammed the door closed behind them, "You will not find yourself judged unless you see fit to be disrespectful again, Yuusuke.  As much as I enjoy reminiscing about the past, I do not have as much leisure time as I would like of late."

            _Reminiscing?_ Hiei frowned, sliding back a step in reflex as he turned to look at the worry on Koenma's face in speculation.

            '_Good luck getting an answer to that,_' Youko snorted in amusement, following the hybrid's gaze and arching an eyebrow curiously. 

            "My humble apologies for using a method you find distasteful, but there were matters I needed to address," Miroku's eyes opened as a taunting smirk teased his lips for a moment until he settled back into that bland serenity.  "Certain boundaries crossed-"

            "I didn't know!" Koenma yelled back at him when the monk drawled those words and shifted his focus to their fidgeting boss.  "You can't punish me for something that wasn't defined, Houshi-sama!"

            _Punish…Koenma?!_ Kurama's shoulders went lax in amazement, well aware he wasn't the only one who'd felt like he'd just been punched in the stomach.  _He summoned us for this?!_

            Three sets of eyes swung around to Koenma in disbelief as silence fell after that loaded comment, blinking as he grew even more restless under their scrutiny and pointed furiously at the monk to try and redirect their focus, "He tricked me!"

            That perfectly innocent look was back on his face as he pressed his hand over his heart and protested, "Tricked you?  Please!  I am but a humble deity while you are the son of the great Enma himself… to suggest that one such as me would be capable of deception of that nature is simply laughable."

            "You signed the agreement with your father, Koenma, don't blame my idiot husband if you didn't read it completely," Sango's voice carried through as the wall beside Miroku split in half and allowed the other deity to step through.  The split closed seamlessly behind her as she set a hand on her hip and reflexively slapped the hand that came to rest on her backside.

            Youko suddenly started to laugh, throwing back his head in their mind as his hands clapped down on his own hips and he sighed, '_Ahh, I see.  So _that's _how they do it_.'

            _Do what?_ Kurama frowned in confusion, trying not to let his inner distraction show on his face as the higher beings stared at each other in a way that almost made them feel that they were the ones intruding despite the "invitation."

            '_Houshi-sama and Sango-sama_,' Youko gestured with one hand.  '_They're faking certain parts of their behavior to make the tactic more effective_.'

            _What the hell are you talking about?_ Hiei shot him a look of annoyance, silently demanding clarification as he returned his attention to the sputtering prince.

            '_Don't be dense, Hiei, I know you've watched those silly television shows when you thought no one was around,_' Youko snorted, much more relaxed now as he waited for this little drama to unfold and offer up the real reason they'd been summoned by the confusing god-pair.  '_They're doing that good-guy/bad-guy tactic… Houshi-sama acts charming and agreeable while Sango-sama is threatening and volatile.  It's a confusion tactic to distract Koenma from their purpose until he backs himself into the corner they've set up_.'

            "But you said the agreement was a transcript-!" Koenma started only to break off when Miroku made a dismissive gesture with one hand.

            "I believe my words were that the agreement was _basically_ a transcript of our discussion," he corrected without a hint of remorse for the deity's plight.  "I suggested you read the terms I had outlined if you had concerns."

            "It was enough paperwork to fill my office!" he slumped down in his chair, gripping his head in his hands with a groan of misery.  "I don't believe this…"

            "Fine print," Miroku's voice was positively cheerful as he snapped his fingers to summon up a single scroll and open it in front of them.  "Right here under interfering with the gender of their offspring to suit your purposes."

            Koenma's head snapped up, eyes wide and frustrated as he shoved up out of his chair and came around the desk to yank the scroll from the monk's hands and scan until he found the line, "That's not fair!  You can't put something so important in one line on the middle of a page of nonsense!"

            Miroku reached up and rubbed the back of his head with an apologetic expression, "I'm afraid my organizational skills with legal documents are not as good as they should be.  Sango-sama is so much better than I am at-"

            Koenma let out a shout of helpless fury and shoved the scroll back against the monk's chest, glaring at him as he pointed an accusing finger directly at his face, "How can you say such things with a straight face, you- you- you _fake!_"

            "Now, now… no need to be rude," he re-rolled the scroll and let out a sigh, shaking his head as it vanished into nothingness again and pasting on a lamenting expression.  "My guilt over my ineffectiveness is already weighing heavily on my conscious, but-" his expression changed so rapidly to something dark and almost dangerous that it had the prince instinctively backing away, "a deal _is_ a deal, Koenma-sama."

            Yuusuke was the one to break the tension this time, clearing his throat as he struggled with the uncomfortable feeling of displacement he'd gotten from this bizarre argument they'd been dragged into, "What _deal?_"

            "Koenma signed an agreement when we first ascended that he would not make inquiries regarding our family," Sango answered him, reaching up to massage her temples with one hand.  "We have just discovered that he has been in violation of that agreement for quite some time now."

            "Kurabara," Hiei folded his arms over his chest with a faint sound of understanding, slanting a look at Koenma to watch as he resumed his nervous pacing.

            "First, yes, and now we hear that you three have been brought into investigations as well," she lifted her head to pin him with a disapproving frown that was made much more impressive by the dark curl of energy that momentarily streaked around her torso until the monk's hand came down lightly on her shoulder to calm it.

            "So what does that mean?" Yuusuke reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, brows furrowed as he tried to follow the disjointed pieces of the conversation.

            "Nothing much," Miroku replied with a shrug.  "It only means that Koenma will have to remove himself from this position until-"

            "NO!" Koenma spun around, his eyes dark with anger and looking far more serious than any of them had ever seen him.  "My father left me in charge and I won't allow you to ruin all my hard work just because I didn't read _one_ line in that thing!  They weren't interfering with your descendants' lives in any way, so you'll have to pick some other way to handle this.  Anything so long as it doesn't involve stepping aside where any idiot could start causing gods know what havoc-"

            "Oh?  Then you agree that it's a good idea?" Miroku's brows lifted in a show of delight, bringing a new level of confusion to Koenma's face as he blinked and tried to redirect his thinking.  "Excellent!  I'll arrange things immediately, you don't have to be concerned with details."

            "Arrange?  Details?" Koenma frowned, glancing around only to catch three shrugs to indicate they didn't have the foggiest idea what was going on either, and frankly didn't intend to get involved.

            "Yes, yes, don't worry about a thing," Miroku made an almost comical motion with his hand to indicate he should put it out of his mind.  "Verbal contracts are binding enough under theses circumstances-"

            "What are you talking about?" Koenma demanded in exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air and giving up on anything that involved this god making any sense at all unless he wanted it to.

            The too-innocent expression had Youko snickering and waiting expectantly to hear the real aim of the discussion, tilting his head and propping his chin up on his hand, '_This makes me wish I had been there when they got this agreement signed_.  _That little bastard looks like he's ready to scream… or cry, crying would be fun to see too_.'

            Hiei's lips gave a suspicious twitch, _Hn_.

            "Transferring the debt to my control," Miroku's voice had taken on a tone that clearly said the answer should have been perfectly obvious.

            "What debt?"

            "Their debt," he pointed over to Hiei and Kurama without the slightest change of expression.

            Koenma very nearly fell over, completely missing the way the thieves were looking at the monk with wide-eyed astonishment, too consumed with letting out an ear-piercing "_WHAT?!_"

            "Mm, no good?  You're right, there's still the other two to worry about," Miroku used one hand to prop up his elbow and stroke his chin with a thoughtful expression.  "Very well, Koenma-sama, you've talked me into it.  I'll just have to take over all of them, at least until this matter is resolved to my satisfaction."

            "You-!"

            "They have no obligation to reveal anything they've already learned or may discover in the future to you in regards to this mess that you are only making more serious with your actions," Sango let out a snort of disgust at the way the blood had almost completely drained from Koenma's face.  "And you are also forbidden from ordering them on missions that involve investigating our family now that we carry ownership of their sentences."

            "I didn't agree to-" he was shaking his head and darting his gaze back and forth between the frozen detectives and the calm-faced gods.

            Miroku held up a hand in his classic prayer position, "You said anything that did not involve you revoking your status.  That opened a wide variety of selections to me…"

"And two youkai contracts with control over a group that deals regularly with sculpting our records is quite a bargain, is it not?" Sango arched an eyebrow in challenge, staying at her husband's side in a silent, and more than a little disturbing show of solidarity.

"Sango-sama, you can't _do_ that!" Koenma turned to her with a pleading expression.  "They protect the barriers, I need them here!  I can't just pass them off like-"

            "They can still protect the barriers when they're answering to a different set of gods, Koenma," Sango's eyes narrowed, purposefully leaving off the honorific as she turned to face him.  "But I think you're the last person who should be giving orders in this situation and speaking of protection… or have you already forgotten why you are dealing with us again?"

            "But to take-"

            "There is a fine line beneath your feet, Koenma-sama."

            Koenma froze, slanting a look find Miroku staring at him coldly, letting his irritation with the continued protests show clearly on his face as his fingers curled with the desire to show him with more than just his expression, "Houshi?"

            "You have put my treasured family into incomparable danger again after we have been striving for so long to obtain this peace, Koenma-_sama_," his eyes narrowed fractionally as the air around them took on a severe chill.  "You are lucky I do not permanently take away your pet, makeshift-taijiya detectives since you have proven yourself so inadequate in planning for every possible risk in your impulsive choices."

            '_I'll even forgive him for calling us pets for this_,' Youko's smile was just as cold as the air, not the least bit surprised by the imposing aura the monk had begun to exude and satisfaction rolling through him like a rush of adrenaline.  '_Who the hell is this person to be so powerful and important that even Koenma defers to him?_'

            _He can't possibly be a lesser god_, Kurama agreed, his voice still soft with the surprise and bemusement of hearing that the debt he owed to Reikai no longer belonged in Koenma's hands.

            _And what reason does he have for doing this? _Hiei's eyes were narrowed in suspicion.  _For going to this trouble to gain control of our contracts to Reikai when it's suggested he could demand more?_

            Youko snorted, disgusted with both of them, '_You're breathing in too much of his power if that's not clear as day… we're getting close to something he doesn't want anyone else to know, we have to be.  It's his way of protecting his family when he knows that _we_ won't be satisfied with less than the truth.  He could have stopped Koenma anytime after he sent Kurabara to work with Takeharuka, but he waited_.'

            _That's just it, Fox,_ Hiei growled at him in annoyance.  Why _did he wait until we were this close?_

_            Probably to annoy Koenma_, Kurama lifted a hand to hide the smirk Youko reflexively offered.

            '_He wanted to watch us first_,' Youko corrected them with a sigh, sounding much older and wiser than he generally allowed himself to appear.  '_That first time we met him, and he hit us with the ofuda, do you remember?  He told us he was more interested in seeing our soul_._  He wanted us to get to this point…_'

            _I'm going to guess from your response, that you don't know why_, Hiei tried not to do something so telling as sigh, but from the violet eyes pinning him briefly to the spot, he was certain this secretive deity was fully aware of their uncertainties.

            _Not yet… and somehow I doubt he intends to tell his reasons so easily_, Kurama let out a faintly bothered sigh.

            '_Course not, that's not his style_,' Youko chuckled and stroked a hand down their soul in a soothing fashion.  '_Relax, Kurama.  This is still a good thing, I'm sure of it.  He and I understand each other, and he likes us or he wouldn't be spending his advantage over Koenma in this way.  He could have simply devised a way to keep us out of the matter entirely_.'

            _You're sure of that?_ Hiei demanded tersely, hands clenched at the sudden vagueness of their positions.  No matter what aggravation they suffered under the neurotic prince's orders, there was at least a pattern to the madness that they had settled into, and after so long of effectively being at his beck and call, it had become tolerable in its predictability if nothing else.

            Youko nodded, for once not giving into the urge to tease, '_Absolutely.  Trust me in this, he's including us in his plans for a reason when he didn't have to_.'

            Koenma shifted nervously from foot to foot under the unblinking violet stare of the censorious god, clearing his throat as he tried to defend, "The human soul deserved a chance to complete its destiny."

            "Onigumo made his choices, and he deserved to suffer the consequences for them," Sango folded her arms over her chest, mirroring her husband's expression with the single exception of the visible anger making her eyes glow a muted scarlet.  "He changed his destiny the moment he allowed the darkness in his soul to guide his heart and devour him."

            Miroku turned his head, whispering something softly in her ear that had the tension easing slightly across her shoulders before he turned back to Koenma with his pleasant smile back in place, "My apologies… but Vengeance is not a forgiving god, as you well know.  And I'm afraid that as much as I have enjoyed this meeting Koenma-sama, my wife and I have important matters to attend to in our own circles."

            "And my detectives?" Koenma looked dizzy, leaning back against his desk with a forlorn look in his eyes. 

            Miroku paused, tapping a finger to his lip thoughtfully before he shrugged and smiled disarmingly, "I suppose there is no harm in allowing them to continue their current employment.  However, if I find information that you have attempted to use my servants to uncover private matters in my descendants, my punishment will not be so forgiving.  Is that clear?"

            At the moment, he looked much more suited to the child's body he had left behind when his energy had restored itself, shoulders hunched and a downright petulant expression on his face as he nodded, "I understand."

            "Then we're finished here," Miroku swept a hand behind him, shadows gathering into a dark portal as Sango sent one more warning glare over her shoulder and passed through.  "Give my regards to your father, Koenma-sama.  I'm sure you'll be speaking with him soon."

            The portal closed the moment the monk had followed his wife into that swirling darkness, pulling strongly at the air until a shiver passed steadily through each silent man in turn and left them staring at the place it had been with expression ranging from disbelief and amusement to open suspicion.

            "What in the _fuck_ was that?!" Yuusuke recovered with an explosive shout, rounding on the deity who had dropped his head in his hands as soon as they were alone again.  "Oi!  Koen-"

            "My father is going to kill me!" he wailed out, completely ignoring Yuusuke's demand as he shoved himself back to his feet and started up his rapid pacing again.  "This is… this is inexcusable!  I've _never_ lost a contract."

            "You weren't exactly a shining example of intelligence there, you know," Yuusuke nearly groaned at the anticipated theatrics, setting his fists on his hips and scowling angrily at their now sort-of boss.  Or at least, he _thought_ Koenma might have lost the position… it was hard to tell with his head feeling so fuzzy.

            "You don't _get_ it, do you?" Koenma snapped at him, pointing an accusing finger at the unmoved detective.  "If Houshi-sama decides to win an argument, that's the end of it!  No one in Reikai has ever successfully fooled him, even if they can get over their fear of Sango-sama's retaliation."

            "So what _exactly_ does this mean?" Kurama inserted before the two of them could get into another of their infamous arguments.  "If I am understanding correctly, Houshi-sama found out about Kurabara's activities and has taken over our supervision as payment for your lapse of an agreement regarding his family?"

            Koenma blinked at him, shaking his head as he seated himself on the edge of his desk and lifted both hands to rub his temples, "It's worse than that.  He's taken the debt you and Hiei owe to _me_ for your thefts, and that means he has control of your repayment."

            "Not to mention removing you from your desired investigation," Hiei couldn't resist the dig to see just how the prince would react.

            "It isn't fair!" Koenma railed again.  "And now when Father finds out, I'm as good as dead!"

            "Your father has lost to this god before," Kurama shrugged when he saw the way Hiei was fighting the urge to let his eyes roll in complete exasperation.

            "But Houshi-sama's family are the last ones who ever saw the Shikon-no-Tama, and I was supposed to find out if they succeeded in destroying it," he admitted wearily, shoulders slumping in defeat.  "It took five hundred years just to find a way that I thought he hadn't covered, but now this!" he gestured expansively to indicate the current situation.  "Do you have any idea how long it's going to take just to recover from this?"

            There was a beat of silence before three sets of eyes narrowed on him in different stages of anger, "Just when were you going to get around to telling _us_ that?"

            "I couldn't risk it with how closely they were watching ever since that human was reborn against their wishes," Koenma shook his head miserably.  "It would have been suicide for all of you."

            Kurama opened his mouth to ask for clarification when a jolt suddenly ran through his system, sending him back a step to catch his balance against the wall.  His eyes went wide, flashing from green to gold to red and back so quickly it was little more than a flicker a split second before he was lifted bodily off his feet and slammed against it hard enough to shake even the floor.

            "Kurama!" Yuusuke shouted in alarm, twisting to find the source of the attack while Koenma shot to his feet and Hiei darted forward to reach for the kitsune when he crumpled to the floor.

            A shudder ran through his system, twisting him involuntarily into a fetal curl until his shoulders heaved and he let out a single, hacking cough that sent a spray of blood out across the floor, _No… no, this is-?_

            '_PORTAL **NOW**!'_

            _Kurama?  What the hell-?_ Hiei winced back from the force of that snarl, gripping his head with one hand to shake off the effect as the kitsune shoved himself up to his feet, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth to clear away the blood.

            "Open a portal, Koenma!" Kurama hissed at the wide-eyed ruler furiously, his energy rising in a dark spiral around him as the weakness melted away as though it had never been.  "I have to get back.  _Now!_"

            "What's happening?" Koenma looked at the tense, baffled expressions of the other two detectives, involuntarily backing away from the murderous rage that he could practically taste radiating off the kitsune.  _So quickly…  What's going on?_

            "Kurama?" Yuusuke pressed when the youkai shook his head violently.

            _Fox_?

            "Kagome is bleeding."

::………::

            Kagome pushed herself back to her feet before the oni could follow through and catch hold of her again, yanking the shakujou free of the remains it had lodged in before she was taken by surprise.  She spun it around to sever the hand arcing towards her, brows furrowed in concern at the strange chill humming through her blood, _Something just happened… when it hit me.  Why did that ki flare-?_

            The vine at her throat retracted abruptly, lashing out with a loud crack as it met with the knee of the towering youkai and sliced through the entire limb to bring it crashing down to a more manageable height, _I guess that answers that… shit, it might tell Kurama that I-_

But the thought broke off abruptly, eyes lighting up when the oni twisted to catch itself on the remaining hand and revealed two feathered ends protruding from its back from an attack it had suffered earlier, "Shippou!  If you're in the mood to play a bow for me, it would probably be helpful right now!"

            "Arrows?" Shippou called back at her across the confined space of the illusion shield they had raised to hide the tear from curious eyes, flipping back away from a lashing tail and glancing in concern at the blood on her face.

            "I just found a couple," she promised him, pivoting to duck under the swing from the other arm and counter with and open-handed punch to pierce the tough hide, feeling her thumb brush a rib as she determinedly shoved her arm all the way in to the shoulder to reach its heart before letting loose a small burst of power.  Enough to kill it, but not risking dissolving the body when she needed those arrows for herself, _Gods, that stinks… but better to clear away some of this if I want to keep this pace up_.

            "Got it!  Let me give us a little room," he nodded in understanding, sending foxfire sparking down the blades as he vanished into the center of the latest wave for a more aggressive assault.

            A tingle raced down her spine, sending a ripple of something pressing at her barrier from behind, and she made an impatient sound as she ripped her arm out of the smoldering body to leap back before it fell on her, "Great, just fucking great.  Shippou!  Pick it up, we might be drawing more of them from this side too!"

            "You make it sound like I'm in here for my health," the kitsune snorted, using the charmed blades to with all the grace of a dancer to cut down the rest of the youkai who'd managed to pass through.  Once the grove had cleared to make it easier for Kagome to use her more powerful attack, he darted back and flicked a leaf out of his shirt to set on top of his head, "One bow, coming up."

            She snatched him out of the air when he "poofed" into a much more impressive bow than he'd managed at his first attempt to appear as that weapon, unable to stop the faint smile from crossing her lips at the thought even as she knelt and yanked the two mostly intact arrows out of the oni she and the rose had taken down, "This is the best I can do… let's just hope it works."

            "It always works," Shippou responded in a tone that easily translated his exasperation.

            Kagome chuckled, stringing the arrow with rapid precision and feeling her aura flare up beneath the empty shield, pouring out into the blackened shaft as she drew back and released in less time than it took to blink, _Let's get to the source of this kind of gathering… Youkai don't swarm like this without direction_.

            Just the way he remembered from the past, Shippou watched the simple arrow seem to burst into flames that grew stronger as it streaked across the upset earth towards its target, shivering at the sheer amount of purifying energy he could feel radiating from that blinding light.  From inside his illusion, he grinned widely as the light passed the barrier and lit up like a flare, burning away the youkai it contacted and continuing in a wide swath almost as effectively as the Kaze no Kizu, "Ha!  Got 'em!"  _And that should give Sesshoumaru a heads-up from that side.  No one has arrows like Kagome, not anymore, and especially not ones that can grow stronger from inside Makai_.

            "Don't get cocky so soon," Kagome murmured, attention fully focused beyond the portal with the other arrow nocked and pointed at the ground in a ready stance.  "I didn't bring any arrows with me and they'll probably kill the archers on that side to keep me from scavenging any more now that they've seen what I can do with them."

            "_If_ they're that smart," Shippou muttered, not willing to let her dampen his enjoyment over the success of her attack.

            "Baka," her lips quirked in affectionate censure, closing her eyes as she drew her focus inward, forming a more direct path to reach out for the source of directing strength hovering amidst the recovering youkai.  "There is always a leader… kill that one, and I can scatter the others at least long enough for the jyaki holding that portal to heal over and close this."  _Come on, damn you!  Show me your face!_

            _You think it will be so easy, Tama?_ the voice chuckled when it felt her reopen her mind to its presence, trying to draw it in and trace it back.  _I know you too well…_

"There," the arrow was in flight before she'd even finished the word, flaring again with its rush of power as she reached out a hand after it to hone it's flight down more precisely.

            Shippou switched back to normal with the last arrow in flight, tossing his head as he found the shakujou imbedded in the ground just above the smoldering oni and moved to retrieve it, using his foot to pry it free and hold the length balanced across his toes rather than come in contact with the steaming blood, "Did you find it?  What is it?"

            Kagome started to answer when her body jerked as the arrow found it's mark, hissing and stumbling back with her hands gripping her head at the piercing chime filled the air, echoing over and over through her soul like a tuning fork, _A… a kugutsu!?  What the-?_

"Kagome!" Shippou blanched dropping their weapons to grip her shoulders and prevent her fall, turning a dark scowl through the portal as the mass slowly began to regroup and press forward again.  "Goddammit!"

            "This could get bad," she pushed out of his arms, bending down to pick up her staff and give the kitsune a pointed look to retrieve his own weapons as well.

            "Suggesting it was ever good?" Shippou's eyebrow kicked up as he obediently held out his hands to call back his wakizashis, checking the ofuda around the blades to be certain nothing had started to peel them loose.

            "It was _better_ until I hit a kugutsu," she only just then seemed to notice the blood coating her right arm, making a face at it for a moment before simply ignoring the detail as unimportant to their circumstances.

            Shippou had taken a step forward only to freeze and turn a disbelieving stare back on her at that word, "No way… No _way!_  He's dead!  There's no fucking way-!"

            "Calm down!" Kagome reached out and grabbed his shoulder, breathing out a heavy sigh and rubbing her mouth on her shoulder to wipe away the blood given the state of her hands.  The ki surged at her through the portal again, prompting her to draw in a deep breath and wrap those pulsing layers around her like a shield, "It's not him.  I would feel it… but they know-" she broke off, spinning around and lifting the shakujou just in time to deflect the broken claws of the same oni she'd killed not five minutes ago.

            But the force of it was still enough to send her skidding back across the ruined ground, keeping her defenses up while her eyes lifted with a sinking sense of realization, "Oh shit…"  _It _is_ still dead, but-  Someone's manipulating the body._  "Shikabane Mai."

            "Great," Shippou unconsciously echoed her earlier sentiments, gritting his teeth as his expression turned serious in regards to the number of dead youkai that could be potential fodder for that technique, "just fan-fucking-tastic."  _What the hell?  Everyone who can use that attack should be long dead!_

"Suck it up, Shippou," Kagome eyed the oni critically, searching for the point of control that she needed to disconnect as it swung clumsily again and forced them to jump farther away from the portal.  "It can always get worse."  _It's driving us… whoever's directing this wants more to make it through before we can engage them_.

            "Yeah," he muttered under his breath.  "They could start throwing bombs."

            The ground just behind the oni exploded as if on cue, completely obliterating the creature while it knocked them off their feet to slam hard against the trees lining the battlefield.  Kagome recovered first, coughing at the smoke in the air as she stood and turned a scowl on the swearing kitsune, "Just had to say it, didn't you?"

            "How the hell was I supposed to know?!" he demanded with a cornered expression.  "I was just saying-"

            The whistle of air gave them enough warning to shield their faces against the next blast, bracing themselves to stay upright as the wind whipped violently around the destruction-widened grove, but it still took a few coughs to clear their lungs before they were back to glaring at the advancing youkai.

Kagome briefly shared a long-suffering look first with Shippou, and then up at the sky, "Somewhere a god is laughing at us right now."

"Yeah, well, I hope they choke on it," he growled out, sinking to a crouch as the attack began again.

::………::

            Kurama raced through the trees, taking to the branches to speed along his progress and growling in irritation at the way Hiei kept pace effortlessly beside him, _The rose I gave her had strict instructions to alert me in any way necessary if Kagome was ever in danger_.

            _So knocking you off your feet and into the wall was necessary?_ Hiei snorted, but he could feel his ki rising, adrenaline flooding his system at the promise of a decent fight to work off all their frustrations with the gods and bureaucracy of Reikai.

            '_It didn't have time to plan, so it simply made a connection,_' Youko didn't sound the least bit pleased at what that suggested.  '_It reflected to us what it felt happening to Kagome._'

            _You sure that didn't kill her? _Hiei asked seriously.  _If it was enough to do that to you, we might be wasting our time_.

            Kurama stumbled from the effort of reining in Youko's response to that, gritting his teeth hard enough that he could feel a searing jolt of pain radiate down into his jaw, _She's _alive_, Hiei, don't suggest she's not!_

            _I'm just being realistic- FUCK!!_ he slammed into a solid force mid-jump, hissing at the energy that crackled out from it and burned along his skin until he shoved away from its surface and landed on the ground, eyeing the shimmering air suspiciously.  _A barrier_.

            _They're close_, Kurama stopped beside him, absently feeling backwards to the signatures of Yuusuke and Kurabara much farther behind as he stepped closer and held out his hands to get a feel for the barrier's composition.  _This isn't the weak point… but it's near here.  I can break it if we can find it_.

            Green-gold eyes skimmed along what they could see distorting the air, attuning his other senses to the foliage around to help guide him towards the appropriate spot.  A faint hum had him turning right and taking to the branches again as he stayed close enough to let Youko continue to filter his power across the surface until the kitsune let out a sharp command to stop.  Kurama had just reached forward to lay his hands on the barrier obediently, watching the odd, iridescent ripple warp and clear to reveal what was really beyond its walls when a glint ahead of them caught his eyes.  Brows furrowed, willing the distortion to settle faster, only to feel his mouth opening in a startled gasp the moment it did, _Oh my gods…_

            Hiei blinked, and then blinked again, scowling as he leaned forward and demanded, "That's-?"

            '_The most beautiful thing I've ever seen_,' Youko cut in with one of the darkest growls Kurama had ever heard come from his other side, involuntarily shivering as his eyes flashed gold under the force of emotions rising in them.  '_Now maybe you'll listen the next time I tell you to look at the hands_,' he chided softly, riveted to the scene in front of them as they watched Kagome rip her arm out of the chest of an oni easily five times her size, blood arcing high when she jumped to avoid being crushed.

            _There is no possible way that miko is normal, I don't give a damn if she was raised by every taijiya known to the Ningenkai _and_ Sesshoumaru, _that_ is just not possible for a human_, Hiei snapped out irritably, pointing at the irrefutable proof they were finally seeing to verify they had been lied to regarding her skills.

            Kurama felt the blood drain from his face when they watched Shippou change into a bow, pressing his fingertips harder against the barrier and ignoring to burn it caused against them as she removed an arrow from the oni and shot it towards the tear in the barrier, _Neither is that…_

            '_Not a very good miko, my ass!_' Youko shouted out, his voice thick with amazement at the power spiraling so visibly around that borrowed shaft as it disappeared beyond the portal, and then again when she fired a second time.  His eyes narrowed critically as he watched her change stance, holding up her hand to flare in time with her arrow and proving just how much control she held over her abilities, '_Those things were soaked in the blood of an oni, shot off a transformed kitsune, _into_ Makai and they had that much power?!  Sweet fucking gods, Kurama, our lover is _incredible!  _Focus!  We need to get in there!  I want to hear what she's saying, touch her face, watch her fight- Dammit, Kurama, hurry up!  We have to be there!_'

            _You may want to hurry for a different reason,_ Hiei's frown deepened, reflexively closing his hand over the hilt of his sword.  _That _dead_ oni just got up and went after her again_.

            Kurama's head snapped up, eyes wide as he watched her barely block the attack and shout out at something to Shippou, trying to ignore Youko's primal growling at the way the changed angle finally gave him a clear line of sight to her face, taking in the way it looked set into such fierce lines and streaked with more blood, _But that's impossible!_

            _Yeah, well, she doesn't look too surprised, so if we want answers, that's our miko to get them from_, his brows lifted suggestively, jerking his head towards the barrier again to remind him that they were waiting on his skills to open the thing in the first place.

            '_Back off, hybrid, it won't take long now that I've got the pulse of it,_' Youko shot back, reaching deeper with Kurama to blend them together and start unraveling the threads of the spell.  '_It's from a kitsune, that's why we couldn't see anything through it, and _this _proves Shippou's stronger than we thought… He's the one who made this, but… there's something in it that isn't quite his_.'

            _So he had help_.

            '_Exactly,_' Youko nodded, eyes flashing as he forced their hands to press through the weakening wall and start prying it open.

            Hiei opened his mouth to actually speak when they nearly lost their footing on the branch at the wave of heat escaping the small opening, snapping his attention down to see the pair of fighters hit the trees hard, _Explosives-_

            "I see them!" Kurama hissed out, bracing himself and forcing his hands deeper at the panic rising up under each new attack.  _Dammit, were they trying to get themselves killed?  Why aren't they running away!?_

            _Those two don't seem to be the running type_, Hiei beat Youko to the observation, shaking his head and letting his muscles bunch in preparation to spring the moment the barrier was wide enough to allow him in.  He was faster than Kurama and they both knew it, and that made him the best chance at saving those two if an attack went wrong before they were completely inside.

            _I'm going to kill him for putting her in this kind of danger,_ Kurama gritted out, letting out a grunt of exertion as he expended more force to widen the hole.  _Then I'm going to beat her, and then I'm going to kiss her, and then-_

            _Move, she doesn't see it!_ Hiei was suddenly gone the same instant another explosion rocked through the ground, wincing against the burn of power against his shoulders at the too-narrow hole, but still managing to force his way through as he blurred towards Kagome.  He slammed her behind him just as the youkai he'd felt through the smoke attacked, closing his eyes against the haze to listen for it's position and slice through it the instant it was within his range.

            "Hiei?" Kagome's eyes widened in alarm when the dust cleared enough to recognize the youkai standing in front of her, katana still poised from his counter-attack and obviously waiting for her acknowledgement.  _That… damn, it was like watching Sesshoumaru move!  I almost didn't feel it-_

"Hello, _miko_," he glanced back over his shoulder with a smirk, showing he'd been there long enough to see the proof of that title.

She tensed, rising to her feet and opening her mouth to respond when Shippou's horrified shout had their eyes snapping up just in time to see the next explosion rip apart the ground directly in front of the hybrid.

Kagome sucked in a sharp breath as the sounds around her went eerily soft, feeling the sudden pulse in her soul when the air instantly twisted until it almost seemed as though everything was happening in slow motion...

A flash of detachment gripped her mind, rendering her unable to do anything but watch the shockwave of force knock Hiei off his feet and send him backwards. His shoulder hit her square in the chest, hard enough to knock her own feet out from under her, but the pain she knew she should have felt just wasn't there.  And even though it should have done _something_, hitting her didn't slow his momentum in the slightest, simply carrying her with it as they continued through the cloud of black smoke until they were brought to an abrupt stop when she felt an unyielding surface of stone crack against her back.

_This is going to be painful_…


	36. Opportunity on a Razor Edge

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Heh… -rubs head- it's been brought to my attention that I'm not explaining the terms I've been using, so I guess I'll have to go back and try to remember the words I've used that either don't translate properly, or just convey the idea better in their original form. 

SO… if you're curious: _Ki_= the living energy of all things (animate and inanimate alike);_ Shinbatsu_= Divine Punishment; _Seibai_=Judgment/Punishment; _Tama_=ball, sphere, (also used for jewel in certain context); _Kaze no Kizu_= Wound of the Wind; _Kugutsu_=Puppet (used for the series to describe the puppets Naraku and later another uses to copy themselves for attacks at no risk to the "caster"); _Shikabane Mai_= Corpse Dance (one of Kagura's signature attacks that manipulates those already dead).  I think that's all of them that I've used so far, but if I've missed any, let me know. 

As for why I stick to the Japanese… I prefer the direct translations rather than the changes made when they decided to transfer to English.  ALL the attacks in both Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho sound soooo much better to me in original form, and they are rarely properly named when dubbed.  Usually because some genius thinks they sound "cooler" if the wording is "touched up."  (Case in point and one of my BIGGEST peeves… Inuyasha's main attack with his claws is "Sankon Tessou" which translates to "Soul-Shattering Iron Claw," _not_ "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer."  Don't ask my why they changed it or the other attack names, it bothers me, and that's that.  But that's an entire rant on it's own that's just yet another reason why I refuse to watch dubs.

-chuckle- Now I can't really say much more with the chapters starting to speak for themselves, so I'll go right in to thanking all of you for sticking with me this far.  I know it's confusing, and I'm a random, opinionated person by nature, so it's very flattering to know you've been willing to put up with it in reading.  To my beloved junkies, worshippers, reviewers, and readers, you are simply fabulous and I adore you, as does Kazusa as it gives her more fodder to taunt me with.  (LOL, Gravidy hit the 500 on FF.N)  And to those of you like Silver Neko and Rosie for leaving me such long reviews after saying they don't do it anywhere else.  Blue for putting up with random IM convo's, and Sylvannastyar and LitChick for being there for me to whine at when Youko is chomping on my head and being generally demanding.  Mou, I want to name everyone who continues to leave me such beautiful reviews, but we'd be here forever if I did!  Honestly, all you guys really make my days and nights with your words.    However, now I know you'd rather see what's going on with our current scene…

By Any Other Name 

Opportunity on a Razor Edge

            The sounds of battle slowly penetrated the thick haze engulfing Hiei's senses as his consciousness fought its way back up from silent void it had retreated to, shaking his head as he tried to sort through the confusion and reorient his thoughts to those oddly far-away noises, _The explosion… dammit, I should have sensed it_-

            -_upid bitch, get out of the way!_

            Hiei jerked when the unfamiliar voice flashed through his head in that deafening shout, forcing his eyes to open and face the source of the threat radiating through his senses like a tidal wave, only to freeze when the unrelenting dark remained, suffocating and oppressive as it pushed in all around him, blinding him to the things he could hear happening somewhere nearby, _What the-?!_

_            It is useless, hanyou,_ a new voice intruded on the darkness, deeper than the first and so malevolent that even Hiei tried to instinctively draw away from it before he was reminded of his disturbingly ethereal state.  _You think there is anywhere she can go that I would not find her?  She is at your side with the final piece of my puzzle merely because I allow her to be_.

            _That would sound more threatening if she hadn't broken all your attempts to control her mind,_ the first voice, angry and growling as it echoed and re-echoed through his head with painful intensity.  _Face it, asshole, no matter what you try, no matter how many spells and attachments you send for her, she's too pure for you_.  She_ always has been_.

            **Yes**…**_ Get angry_**.

            A pulse suddenly flared out from his body, bringing the tingling beginnings of returned sensation and arching his back as he felt his eyes widen uselessly in the dark in response to the new sound, like a thousand voices condensed down into a single, enthralling whisper.

            _Foolish as always_, that second voice returned with a low chuckle, punctuated with a harsh grating sound, like metal dragging along bone.  _Don't you understand yet?_

            **_I know you can feel us inside you when we have you so close_**.

            He half-anticipated the next pulse with the return of that third presence, feeling the words all the way through his soul when his stomach unexpectedly gave a violent twist.  The pain seared through him, curling him back in on himself as his throat constricted on the mysterious attack, _What _is _this?!  Where is it coming from?_

            _I understand that you're finally going to die today, Naraku_.

            _Naraku?_ Hiei gritted his teeth hard, choking back a rise of bile from the rush of emotions filling his head at the sound of that name.  _The hanyou from the legend?  But how is that possi-_

_            **Why won**_**'_t you answer?  Have we upset you?_**

****Hiei's brow furrowed, thoughts distracted from the conversation at the almost pleading note that slipped into the cacophony.  Were those things speaking to _him?_

            **_Speak to us_**_!_

            _I can't be killed by something as weak as you, hanyou,_ Naraku's voice filled with sadistic amusement, something clenching around Hiei's heart as though a fist had reached into his chest and squeezed.  _I will destroy you and your companions… but the miko?  The miko I will keep_.  _The jewel is crying for the pieces she holds, for the power inside her_.  _Her corruption will be truly beautiful in our hands_-

            _Bastard_!

            **_Do you want to lose to him?  To this creature_?**

            _No!_ that first voice snarled out darkly, sending a rising flush of ki through the air that washed over him, warmed him in a way that pushed down the pain…

            _He can hear it too? _Hiei sucked in a sharp breath, but felt his lips twist into a frown at the foreign thought.  As though it wasn't his own despite the way it flowed from his mind, _Who-?_

_            It whispers to me when I hold it close to me_, Naraku lowered his voice to a taunting murmur, but the words reached into his soul with all the clarity as though they'd been shouted to the sky.  _I can feel its power.  Hunting… begging me to complete it and take it for my own_ _with every beat of my heart_.

            **_We have been patient enough, haven't we?  We are tired of waiting, tired of this vacant feeling_**.

            That pulse again, even stronger and calling out to something inside him as the whispers began to pour more aggressively through his head, too low and jumbled to make out but growing progressively louder until he could sense his hands rising to instinctively press tight against his ears in an effort to shut them out.

            But still, he felt nothing but each heavy pulse as it rolled through his blood.

            **_We can give you strength_**…**_ make you great_**.  **_Make you whole_**.

            _Don't listen_, Hiei's brows drew together in deeper confusion at hearing himself "speak" to those faceless voices, trying to force aside his disorientation even as his throat worked to add more.  _They're lying; don't listen!_

            _What are you talking about?_ the still-unidentified voice shouted at him in frustration, clearly not understanding the warning any more than he did himself.

            _You cannot possibly appreciate the true power trapped within the Shikon-no-Tama_, Naraku's voice gained strength, more of those little sounds in their hidden surroundings trickling into his head to mingle with the incessant whispers.  He could hear the fighting more clearly, the roar of winds carrying the dying cries of countless youkai amidst a strangely melodic ringing, and the more brutal slam of a blunt edge rending flesh and bone somewhere behind him. 

But why couldn't he see?  Move? 

            **_Restore us and we'll grant you the power to crush our enemies_**. 

            Hiei could practically taste the way the first voice was swaying under those increasingly seductive promises, the way the threads of power were creeping along through the air, along the ground, in thick veins until he felt them close around them all like a spider web.  But all the same, he _knew_ that person wasn't actually hearing the voices, more of the impressions, _This is all wrong…_

            _Your allies_ will_ fall, hanyou, there is no denying it_, Naraku was still speaking, still taunting, but his voice was losing focus under the way his heartbeat had begun to pound in his ears.  The pulse of those disjointed whispers came more rapidly with every straining breath, speeding its pace until it had nearly matched to his own heartbeats as the heat flowing into him grew stronger.  _They are, after all, only human_.

            **_Don_'_t you want to finish this?_**

            _Finish what?_ Hiei heard himself demand in a nearly desperate tone, seething at the sound of it even as it reverberated all around him.  _What do you want from me?!_

            **_Why won't you allow us to help you?  It is such a simple thing_**…**_ to use a soul that hungers so intensely for power_**.

            _Use a soul?_ the alarm of hearing himself form words that weren't his own was beginning to fade, curiosity rising in its place with every growing strike of power calling out to his soul, forcing it to answer through the pain it was causing.

            **_We were in danger_**.

            _We _are_ in danger!_ he answered back with a faintly hysterical laugh.  _Where are you?  _What_ are you?_

            **_Why are you asking us questions that you already know the answers to?_**

            _Look at her,_ Naraku intruded again, feeding his disorientation as his attention tried to split through the unfamiliar quickening in his soul and the conversations bouncing around in his head.  _Look at her determination when she fights to retrieve it_.  _She is not complete without the jewel, hanyou, and she knows it_.  _But does she share such thoughts with you?_

            **_We used Naraku to bring us all back together, but now that we have accomplished it, we are impatient_**.  **_Let us finish this so we can be at peace_**.

            Horrified surprise made his blood run cold for a split second before that inexorable heat banished the sensation, _Used… Naraku?!  How!?  To gather the shards?_

            **_Of course!  We were too weak before, tired_**…  **_We let that_**… **_that vile _thing_ steal us, and we resolved to grow strong to prevent such mistakes being repeated_**.  **_We traveled to gain it, to soak in that power and make it our own_**.  **_To be strong enough to hold to what is ours_**.

            A shiver ran through him at the dangerous possessiveness that suddenly filled those voices as one, bringing them into perfect unison with chilling precision, _I-I don't understand-_

            All three of his eyes opened so wide he could feel them water and flare bright scarlet, mouth opening in a silent tortured scream at the jolt of agony that suddenly ripped through him, arching his spine at a dangerous angle when he felt… _something_ lash out and wind itself chokingly tight around his soul.  The blanket feeling suddenly began to unravel, changing into thousands of tiny searching ribbons of that same power as it feathered out over his body, seeking entrance to his soul and worming its way deeper inside.

            **_It was our fault that you have come to feel this way, but we will make amends_**.  **_We don't intend to let such a thing ever happen to us again_**.  **_You cannot lie to us_**…**_ we can feel how empty you have been, just as empty as we are_**…

            Hiei choked on whatever response he might have made to that, one hand finding its way up to clutch frantically at his throat as it constricted in response to the forceful intrusion, _I-it's ripping me apart_.

            **_Look at them_**.  **_They're fighting for us, for control of us like a pair of animals_**. 

            _I've had it with your bullshit, Naraku!_ the first voice was screaming out in guttural fury, renewed waves of ki washed over him and increased the speed of those pulses in his soul as each one was caught in those searching tendrils and absorbed into the whole.

            **_Just a little more and he will break_**.

            _No,_ Hiei stirred against the insinuation in those words, gritting his teeth hard as he tried to gasp in enough air to regain some measure of control.  _No, I won't let you break him!_

            **_Then help us_**.  **_We have the strength inside us to correct this, but we must have all of our power if we are to avoid using these souls to complete us_**.

            _Why should I believe you when you're hurting me like this? _he hissed out when a new streak of pain raced down his spine, curling him in on himself with a shuddering gasp.

            **_We would _never_ hurt you!  It is Naraku's corruption that flows through us, and we cannot keep it from the powers we try to use until we are well_**.  **_Your pain is our pain_**…  **_We want to end it, want to punish him for forcing this feeling on you_**.

            _I'm not going to fall for your tricks_, Hiei had no idea why his lips twitched at that, but something about it just felt like a child trying to get a treat before dinner.

            **_No, our tricks are not meant for you_**…  **_You have never been able to hear our seduction the way the others could_**.  **_That's how we knew it was time, but that unfortunately, is also what we need the other one for now that you have stopped pushing us out of you_**.

            _I wish-_

            **NO**! Hiei felt panic shoot through him unlike anything he'd ever felt before when he heard that barely decipherable growl get lost in the unmistakable song of metal grinding against metal.  _Don't say the words!  Don't-!_ He tried to force his lips to form that scream, but his throat closed again and effectively silenced the warning as those tendrils in his soul snapped taut and yanked him upright.

            **_Now_**…**_ Now, we will_ finally_ be as we should be_**.

            Before he'd even taken in a breath to respond the world around him exploded with searing light, making him instinctively cringe away as his eyes closed in a belated, instinctive effort to save himself even more discomfort.  When his arms lifted to reflexively add to the shield, a spasm went through the muscles in his back, but before he could move to correct the sensation the air shifted and whipped past him like a gale.  Startled and feeling the undeniable burst of apprehension, Hiei stubbornly fought to open his eyes and twist around to follow that wind when his body was violently arched.

            The "ground" beneath his feet vanished as his senses caught up with the speed of that strike, realization setting in at the way his flesh pulled against the intruding spike.  The force behind it thrust harder, sending countless slivers of fire raining out all around the point of that lethal injury.  He could feel his head falling back, teeth bared in a twisted grimace as he fought the tortured scream burning in his lungs, uncaring of the light burning painfully into his eyes when they opened involuntarily, and growing impossibly brighter as the seconds ticked by.

            Hiei hadn't thought this could possibly get worse without dying, or at the very least losing himself into the blessed oblivion of unconsciousness.  And yet that pulse returned at that moment, deafeningly loud and making him feel like his body was going to split in half as it receded only to begin again with the rapid beat of his heart.

            _I can_'_t stop the bleeding!_

_Move _back!_ I can't do a thing with you standing here!_

New voices… familiar voices…

Hiei gripped his head against the added onslaught of voices raised in panic, emotions crashing in on him as though his carefully wrought barriers didn't exist even as he again threw back his head and tried to scream through a throat long-closed from the searing pain radiating outward from the center of his back through every inch of his body and soul.

_Hold on, koishii_… Please.  _Hold on!_ that other voice was close, terrified and pleading as it whispered in his ear, but the sound was already fading to his dimming senses as something cool slowly began to penetrate the unrelenting agony.

**_Hold on_**… **_Yes, yes we will hold on now_**.

Hiei's eyes slipped closed, mindlessly turning when he felt slender arms wrap around his soul, pushing numbness through his body in soothing waves as they tucked him close with all the care and tenderness of a lover.  Or…

_Mother_? Hiei whispered in awe, blindly reaching until his hand found a face above him, fingertips ghosting along the insubstantial jaw to find the lips before he lost to sweet oblivion.  _Mother… you're… smiling?_

**_We are safe_**.

_At me?_

::………::

            "Hey."

            Hiei shifted uncomfortably when that soft murmur demanded his attention, straining against the thick shroud of unconsciousness trying to hold him perfectly still and unresponsive when his mind felt an undeniable need to answer that concern in Kagome's voice, _What the hell happened?_

            "We had an intimate encounter with a nice, big rock, courtesy of a nasty explosive, I think," she let out a sigh, the shifting sound in ears telling him that she was just moved back from where he could feel her hovering over him.  "There's still too much smoke to see anything, but you need to wake up.  I can hear everyone fighting over there, but they can't find us.  I need your help."

            _My help?_ Hiei frowned sharply and tried to rise, muttering a few more choice phrases when his body moved in sluggish reluctance to his mind's demands.  _Why do I feel so heavy?_

            "Sorry about that," Kagome honestly sounded apologetic, and he heard her shift farther away as the numbness in his arms and legs finally began to fade.  "I wasn't exactly expecting you to come rushing out of the smoke and then try to squish me."

            _Neither was I_, he opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to try and clear away the stubborn, blurring haze still obstructing his view.  Furious, he scrubbed at his eyes and turned to scowl in the direction he could hear the sounds of fighting, letting out a relieved sigh when he recognized his companions unique auras mingling with the kitsune brat, _They made it through_.

            "Kurama nearly ripped it in half when we hit," Kagome let out an annoyed snort as she responded to that statement to give him more details.  "Do you have any idea how hard that was to stop the whole damn thing from breaking down and giving the world more of a show than it should ever have?"

            _You knew he was strong,_ Hiei scolded absently, rotating his shoulders as he searched for anything to give evidence of that horrific scene that had just played out in his head.  But he felt fine, a lingering headache and minor body soreness non-withstanding, so… where had that memory come from?  It was about the legend, he was sure, so why had hitting Kagome into-?  He winced when he felt a stirring of guilt and turned to try and find her in the obscuring smoke, _You hit first, didn't you?  Are you all right?_

            "As well as can be expected," she shrugged, and his eyes focused on the strongest point of her voice.  "Actually, I'm more worried about you…  Do you feel okay?"

Hiei frowned at the anxious concern in her voice, wondering if she had seen all that happening to him too even as he gave a snort of disgust, _It would take a great deal more than _that_ to actually hurt me, miko_.  _They took me by surprise and that's the only reason they got in that cheap shot_.  Maybe they had hit so hard it had knocked loose a memory from her previous life, and being so close in contact, he had relived it with her?  The legend _did_ say the second wife had died after the final battle from injuries…__

Kagome chuckled at the arrogance in his voice, "Well forgive this unworthy little miko for questioning you, oh great and powerful youkai."

If he could have seen her face through the smoke, he would have glared at her for finding amusement at his expense in these circumstances, but as it was, he settled for muttering about the questionable intelligence of humans before pointedly turning his focus back on the fighting, _How long were we out?_

"_You_ have been out for several minutes," Kagome emphasized in a lofty tone at the suggestion she had automatically been unconscious as well.  "You were starting to worry me… but _I've_ taken harder hits than that repeatedly in the past and come out of them just fine."

Hiei rolled his eyes, debating with himself as to whether or not he should ask her if that was truly something to be proud of before he settled on a more banal, _If you say so, miko_.

"I _do_ say so."

He almost smiled, abruptly scowling again when he realized he didn't have the foggiest idea what had prompted that uncharacteristic response as the confusion returned him to his more comfortable clipped tones, _Fine.  What happened then?_

"There's something on the other side of the rip controlling these youkai even if we kill them," Kagome's voice lost its playful edge as quickly as though it had never been, snapping into perfect, impressive focus that had Hiei shaking off an irrational comparison to Youko's own sporadic attention spans.  "I've seen something like this before, but the two people with that skill died a very long time ago."  _Yura could do it… or someone like her, but there's no hair to show a point of control_.  _And Kagura was destroyed, wasn't she?_

Hiei let out a soft sound of discomfort, reaching up reflexively to splay his hand out above his heart at the strange twinge pulling inside his chest while faint echoes of Kagome's thoughts whispered through his head.  More confused at hearing her now after being shut out for so long, he shoved it aside as more examinations to be had at a peaceful time, shaking his head hard and reaching up to undo the bandana still securely wrapped around his ever-watchful Jagan, _Stay behind me.  I don't want to be held responsible for your death if it sees you and decides it doesn't like you_.

"Oh please, I'll be fine," Kagome gave him a poke in the sides and started to chuckle when he hissed and snapped at her to stop it.  "What are you doing?"

_I can't see in this mess, and I'm sure you realize that's what whatever bomb they used to make this smoke was supposed to do,_ he wound the bandana around his palm in a distracted fashion, shivering at the strange way the Jagan's ki flared to life, eager and humming through him with a sense of pleasure that he struggled to ignore.  _So I'm going to "look" a different way_.

"Ahh, Kagome made a sound of understanding and he could feel her urge to hover and examine him again.  "Well, at least this answers my question about your overlapping vibrations.  Is it natural or implanted?"

_Implant,_ he answered, scowl abruptly darkening as he gritted out.  _Miko, whatever you're doing, stop it!  I do not want to answer your foolish questions!_

"Mou, you're grumpy when you wake up," Kagome clucked her tongue before turning again to look at the portal when it sent a new pulse through her, whispering in ways it knew would pass by anyone else.  "Don't blame me for your answers when you're being inattentive.  I'm not _making_ you do anything."

_I do not speak with humans unless such a thing proves unavoidable_.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."

_And do not compare me to your dog_.

"You could be compared to worse things," Kagome pointed out, frowning as she murmured.  "It wants to close… but whatever is over there is forcing it to stay open."

_And you can feel it?_ Hiei arched an eyebrow as he waited for the Jagan to blink and refilter the scene in front of them into a greyscale with the living auras reflecting stark white in the smoky gloom.  _I wondered about that… you always sensed us, but you tried to say you had no skills_.  _Which, as you know, you have no reason to lie about anymore, since we saw it ourselves_.

"Side-effect," Kagome shrugged absently, breathing out a sigh as he finally felt her powers expand instead of that hollow nothingness that she carried around her.  "I never used to be any good at being specific, I was just sensitive, but that changed after Sesshoumaru helped me.  So what do you see?"

_Auras instead of all this,_ he waved a hand to indicate the smoke, sighing in annoyance when he realized he was doing it again.

"Well, _that's_ handy," she smiled, folding her arms over her chest as she cocked her head to one side.

Hiei snorted again, but he couldn't stop the sense of pride at the candid admiration in her voice, _Do not presume to know my limits simply because you have an ability to sense the truth of things such as youkai_.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she answered flippantly, but he could actually feel her concentration pouring through his veins at how intently she focused her senses beyond the battle and into Makai before she blinked and retracted it to speak with him again.  "So!  What else have you got hidden away in that head of yours?  Any 'special attacks?'"

_You have become infected by the idiocy of those human brats,_ Hiei rolled his eyes at hearing that term come from her in such an amused, but hopeful voice, unable to prevent himself from closing his right hand into a fist.

"Aaah, so you _do_," Kagome chuckled triumphantly at the telling action, fingers skimming over his arm and making him jerk back uncomfortably.

_I don't call it a 'special attack,'_ he informed her disdainfully.

"Of course you don't, so what is it?" she huffed, frustrated at his actions as she pressed for more information.

_I can't use it here_, Hiei's voice held a note of bitterness that he couldn't fully contain.  _It has a mind of its own, and _barely_ answers to me when I let it free.  Not to mention it tries to consume my arm and succeeds in rendering it useless while it sucks out all of my ki.  I have no desire to be comatose at this time_.

"I see," Kagome sighed thoughtfully, trailing her fingers down his arm lightly again as she turned the information over in her head.  "But it _is _a distance attack?  Enough to take care of this mess and let the rip heal itself?"

_Yes,_ he answered reluctantly.

"Well then!" Kagome clapped her hands together, making his brows raise in confusion at the way her voice had nearly gone cheerful.  "Let's give it a whirl."

_Miko-_ he started to growl.

"Don't 'miko' me, youkai," she cut in with a hard, authoritative tone he'd never suspected she would be capable of, effectively silencing him in his surprise.  "You handle the attack and let me worry about the consuming, uncontrollable part.  It's still youkai energy, and miko power can contain that."  _Not to mention all the practice I've had calming down things that thrive in chaos and dissention…_

_There is absolutely no way in any level of hell that you can control it,_ Hiei snapped at her in exasperation.

"Try me."

_Fine, then you can explain to Kurama when you're dead_.

Hiei ground his teeth together, unable to figure out what it was about this particular miko that had his emotions so close to the surface, not to mention his unwillingness to argue against her.  Whatever it was, it was damned irritating, and he felt the Jagan flash scarlet as he tamped down his temper and moved his hands into position when she suddenly chuckled.

"Besides, it's not _really_ a matter of controlling it or not, you know," Kagome chided him, but her voice was soft as her focus again flowed over him, aiding his own efforts to raise his ki appropriately high.

_Why's that?_ he couldn't resist asking even as his eyes closed under the potent rush of energy, lips parting in confusion at how sharp and raw it seemed to feel along his soul before he passed it off as remnants of that earlier vision.

"_You _already know how to control it," Kagome's arms slid around his waist, and he could feel her whisper against his ear as her right hand moved to curl around his shoulder before trailing down to align with his.

Hiei drew in a sharp breath when his vision blurred for a split second and returned with a clarity that nearly had him crying out in alarm until her hold on him tightened and sent another ripple of tingling warmth sparking across his soul, _Miko, what-?_ 

"Shh," Kagome's lips curved up in a smile as ripples of violet fire started to flow outwards from her body more steadily, snaking out and trailing along his skin as it learned the feel of him before expanding to visibly arc around him sporadically.  "All you have to do is focus and attack.  And all I have to do is convince it that it wants to listen when you call it back."

::………::

            Shippou staggered back under a wave of distressed energy, eyes wide and glassy as his swords slipped from nerveless fingers and he dropped to his knees, mindless to the youkai looking at each other in confusion before recovering to press their advantage.  He stared up at them vacantly, one hand pressed flat below his throat with the claws digging in hard enough the draw blood as precious seconds ticked by.

            "_Kagon Retsuzan-shi!_"

            Somewhere his mind was vaguely aware of the lines of light slashing in front of his face in an intricate pattern, aware of the man who moved to stand in front of him protectively… He even recognized the unmistakable hair giving away the youkai's identity as he fell back gracelessly on one elbow, head lolling to the side as though at some point in the past minute it had become too heavy for his neck to properly support it.  But all of this was overshadowed by the screams suddenly echoing in his head, the tortured sounds that haunted his nights for centuries while his heart stuttered and leapt to match pace with the deep pulse in his soul, _Kagome… Kagome is…_

            "Shippou, get up!" Kurama hissed back at the fallen kitsune, alarmed at the way his ki was steadily draining away and well aware it had nothing to do with his Fuyouheki by the way the blood was leaving his face chalk white against his auburn hair.  "Get _up!_"  Where are Kagome and Hiei?"

            Shippou had looked up at the sound of Kurama's voice, eyes heavy-lidded and glowing dimly as he tried to process it with some semblance of coherency, "Kagome?"

            '_What the fuck is wrong with him?_' Youko flicked his tail nervously, gritting his teeth against the faint shiver of unease that went through them to see the normally disgustingly energetic kitsune behaving so… horribly lethargic.  '_What started this fight, and what the hell is sucking out his ki like this without touching anything else but him?_'

            _I don't know, but Kagome will have our head if we let anything happen to Shippou while he's like this_, Kurama shook his head, hand steady and whip poised in a deceptively casual stance as he waited for the youkai to regroup and come through the portal again.  _And if Yuusuke and Kurabara don't get their asses down here so I can find Kagome and Hiei in this mess, I'm going to string them both up by their ears and leave them for fodder_.

            '_Someone's feeling violent_,' Youko snorted, his movements still antsy and impatient as he tried to unsuccessfully tamp down his own concern at their inability to get a response to their mental calls.

            _Don't think I can't feel how much of this is you just because you're pretending nothing's wrong, jackass_, Kurama snapped back shortly, flicking his wrist in an elegant motion that severed his newest opponents' heads in a single swipe.

            '_And don't you get snippy with me, you little bitch, or I'll take over and put an end to this nonsense,_' Youko growled back just as darkly at the vulgar insult, expanding his ki in a painful jolt to prove to Kurama he wouldn't stand for such treatment either.  '_Fine, I'll admit that we're both worried about our lover, but Hiei got to her_ _before that bomb went off and he might be a self-serving bastard, but he won't let her get hurt_.  _He still has questions only she can answer_.'

            "Kagome…" Shippou's voice sent a chill down Kurama's spine, turning him back to stare in disbelief to verify that the broken, childish whisper he'd just heard had actually come from the investigator.  Sure enough, the other kitsune was still digging his claws into his own chest, his other hand pressed hard against his temple as tears poured unchecked down his cheeks, baring his fangs and choking out, "The blood… we couldn't stop- couldn't…  The grass was slippery.  Blood…"

            '_Good gods_.'

            _No shit,_ Kurama whispered, taking an unconscious step back when Shippou's ki suddenly flared up in a violent arc, his eyes wide and unseeing as he screamed out into the portal.

            "_YOU FUCKING COWARD!_" his hands flicked, one after the other to snap the wakizashis back into them as he started forward.  "_Stay away from her!_  _I won't let you do this!  I won't forgive you for this, I'll **never**__forgive you for this!_"

            Kurama's ears were ringing, wincing at the not just the volume, but the emotion trapped behind those screams as Shippou let out a wordless roar, his fire lashing out in long, deadly streaks as he raced into the oncoming youkai like a thing possessed, _What the _hell_ was that?_

            '_He isn't _here_,_' Youko shook his head, setting his jaw as he shoved at Kurama to follow.  '_He's fighting, he's seeing these enemies, but his mind isn't _here.  _Come on… we have to pull him back before he does something stupid and gets himself killed_.'

            "_Shotto Gan!_" Yuusuke's voice rose over the din of battle, drawing Kurama's focus to the side as he breathed out a resigned sigh and darted into the fray.

            _Or gets in the way of that_, he mentally swore at whatever nightmares had gripped the kitsune's mind, wary of calling it a weakness with the complete oddness of the situation.  Almost as though he had come under a spell, _Dammit, I don't have time for this!_

            '_Then pick it up and lets get him tied down out of the way so we can be more focused on finding out where Kagome was thrown_,' Youko insisted with a stiff nod, blending with Kurama even more to add speed to their intricate dodging as they followed the swath left by Shippou's frantic dash.  '_Yuusuke and Kurabara have been dying for a good fight for long enough that we can give them this one_.'

            _Agreed_, Kurama's eyes flashed with anger at the youkai continuing to get in his way rather than move to the other two detectives engaging the others of their kind more directly, but he still took great pleasure in the fluid dance of his whip across those foolish enough to try. 

It took longer than he'd anticipated, and both he and Youko were growling when they finally sighted the younger kitsune flickering in and out with two copycat versions of himself around a massive oni halfway through the portal.  His eyes narrowed sharply when he caught sight of the violet sneaking into the ice-blue of Shippou's fire, brows drawing in as he searched for the source until he found the ofuda wound around the base of his swords, _That… that can't be!_

            '_How is he even touching those swords?_' Youko shook his head at the sight, leaning back in suspicion at such a blatantly impossible thing right in front of his own eyes.  Holy magic simply didn't allow for kitsune hands, and yet Shippou was here throwing it out as though it was a part of his own soul, '_That magic should be devouring him, draining his soul!_'

            Kurama had just started to take a step forward, determined to get the wild kitsune down before he sank any deeper into his berserk state when a pulse ran outward just below his feet and brought the air to a complete standstill.  Shippou's head snapped up, scarlet eyes flickering and fading slowly back to their normal shade as he looked around in surprise at his location, barely managing to dodge when the dying oni took one last swing in his direction.

            The two fakes vanished with a poof as Shippou skidded to a stop at Kurama's side, shoulders heaving with his gasping breaths and casting about in the smoke for some sort of answer, "When-?  What happened?"

            "You're asking _me?_" Kurama's eyebrow kicked up in amazement.

            Shippou opened his mouth only to shut it just as quickly and whip around to face a direction diagonal to the portal, "Oi… does the short guy have any big attacks?  Unique power?  Things like that?"

            '_What the fuck is he rambling about?_' Youko demanded irritably.  '_What difference does it make what Hiei uses to attack?  He wouldn't attack us under these circumstances_.'

            "Hiei?" the eyebrow went higher, biting down the need to hit the boy over the head and demand something clearer than what he was offering in regards to what was happening around them.  "Hiei's a powerful youkai, of course he has big attacks."

            "That's bad," he grimaced, shooting looks between the distant point and the portal nervously.

            "Bad?" Kurama repeated in bemusement, reaching out to grab Shippou's shoulder and jerk him around to meet his eyes as his patience finally stretched to the breaking point.  "Why is that-?"

            "_Jaou Ensatsu-!_"

Kurama's eyes went round in an instant when he heard that voice yell out across their battlefield, _WHAT IS HE _DOING?!

"-_Kokuryuu Ha!_"

Trusting Yuusuke and Kurabara knew better than to stay in the path of that attack, Kurama hooked his fingers in the back of Shippou's shirt and yanked him off his feet as he leapt backwards to get as far from the sound of that voice as possible.  Ignoring the yelp of startled protest from the boy, he slammed Shippou face-first into the ground in subtle vengeance for his behavior as he crouched, jaw clenched at the overwhelming sight of that energy streaking upwards above the trees to gather into its true shape.

Shippou shoved him off, pushing up on his fist with a snarl in his throat that completely died when he felt the light being sucked out of every living thing and dragged inwards, twisting to stare just as the air switched directions with brutal force.  The smoke immediately dissipated, leaving the youkai exposed and alone while Kurama unerringly found Yuusuke and Kurabara gripping the trees across the field and staring back to where the dragon had broken the tree line.

Youko let out a low hiss the instant they had a clear view, backing them away a step farther, '_That's not Hiei's dragon_.'

_What?_ Kurama stiffened, starting to demand what Youko thought he was talking about when he abruptly realized the dragon seemed content to hover there, staring down at the youkai and cocking its head as though listening to something only it could hear.  _But… that can't be.  That's Hiei's dragon, that was his voice!_

'_He's never been able to control it like that_,' Youko was flexing his claws, growling low in his throat and vaguely noting Shippou had also pressed instinctively closer to the ground at the feel of one of their kinds' worst enemies.  '_It's always been-_'

Whatever Youko would have said was cut off when it finally threw back it's head and let out a deafening shriek, like steel grating across stone as its wings spread wide, mouth releasing a short burst of black flame mixed strangely with violet as it blurred across the distance between itself and the portal.  Shippou cringed back as the trees were obliterated in its wake, practically flattening down at the mixed light snapping and arcing off it in long whips as it tore into the portal and beyond, leaving nothing behind by the faded sounds of screaming from the remaining hoard.

More than willing to turn his attention away from the destruction being wrought on the other side, Kurama spun around to face the source of the attack so rapidly his hair came fanning out over his shoulder before he shoved it back with a frustrated hand, "Hie-!"

Shippou blinked up at him when he choked off even before finishing the name, pushing himself up and following his line of sight until he found the reason behind the kitsune's sudden distress, "Well dammit all to hell and back."  _So that's what happened_.

Hiei didn't even bother to look at them, standing in the most casual stance Kurama had _ever_ seen him use in an attack situation, especially not for one so very serious and consuming as calling out the dragon.  His left hand still held his katana pointed down and away from his body, legs spaced for balance and turned instinctively to provide less of a target to direct attacks while his right hand was extended, palm facing out and crackling wildly with that same tangled black and violet fire.  But even from this distance it was easy to see all three eyes uncovered, glowing deep scarlet while his clothes and hair fluttered now and then in the unnatural wind spiraling up around him.

'_Where is Kagome?_' Youko demanded, snapping Kurama out of his dumbfounded trance with a hard shove.  '_Goddammit, Kurama, stop staring at Hiei as though you'd never seen him before and find our lover!  We can worry about what the fuck got into him after we're sure she's safe!  She might need us, she might be hurt-_'

"Hiei!" Yuusuke was yelling out across from them, both younger men obviously highly disturbed by the sight as well while Kurama conversely felt Shippou relax at his side.  "Oi!  Hiei, what the fuck happened to you!?  What's going on?"

"He won't answer," Shippou sighed, flicking his swords in absent chiburi before sheathing them openly rather than absorbing them completely, just in case.  "Can't you feel the way the ki in this place went nuts?  He's right in the middle of it, and he's not going to snap out of that focus until that attack is done."

            Kurama had rounded on him in a heartbeat at the mere suggestion he had answers for Hiei's altered behavior, closing his hand around Shippou's throat and lifting him up the ground the way Sesshoumaru was so fond of doing to him, "What the hell do you mean, he won't answer?  What do you know about this, kit?"

            Shippou rolled his eyes, "See the wind?  You think he can hear you over that?  _With_ that fire?  He can't hear you because of that attack."  _And if he hit what I think he hit… Sesshoumaru is _not_ going to be happy_, he fidgeted at the thought, reaching back behind him subtly when Kurama frowned back at his friend and pressed his palm against the nearest tree to send out a searching beat of energy, trying not to let his worry show at the answering hum that came to him a moment later..

            '_But _why_ is it doing that?_' Youko's eyes narrowed, unable to shake the suspicion that there was much more to this scene that Shippou knew, but wasn't willing to offer to him even at threat to his own health.  '_Has Hiei gained more control of it?  Or gotten stronger without telling us?  That doesn't make any sense… where would he be able to practice that we wouldn't know?  And where the _fuck_ is Kagome?!_'

            "Where is she, Shippou?" Kurama took in a deep breath, forcibly pushing down Youko's instinctive attempts to lash out in response to his frustration and confusion.

            "Hiei put her behind the rock," Shippou answered with a careless shrug, folding his arms and frowning in that direction as Kurama lowered him back down to the ground with a muted rumble to show his continued displeasure with the entire situation.  "Don't believe me?  Don't you think I'd be a little freaked out if I didn't know my sister was perfectly safe?"

            "You went berserk," Kurama pointed out, trying to equally divide his attention between Hiei and Shippou when the hybrid turned his head, eyes narrowing in their direction, actually making him shiver at the severity of the Jagan's heightened aura until that glowing attention returned to the portal.

            "What can I say?  I guess my barriers aren't as perfect as I thought," Shippou didn't miss a beat, reaching up to press his middle fingertip against the corresponding third-eye point between his eyebrows.  "Something slipped in."

            _He's lying_, Kurama's fists clenched, starting to say more when the ground began to shake in warning just before the dragon ripped back through the torn barrier with a loud, triumphant roar.  _Shit, it's turning on him!_ 

            Kurama had started to bend his knees, determining to at least _try_ to get the hybrid out of the way of what had proven to be a murderous rampage when he felt Shippou hook his foot around his ankle and jerk to throw his balance off.  A simple twist and roll saved him from landing on his face, but the dragon was already in motion before he could correct enough to try again, leaving him with nothing to do but stare in morbid fascination as it burned a wide path back towards the waiting youkai.

            "_Hiei!_" Kurama called out in renewed alarm when they hybrid continued to stand as still as a statue, waiting for inevitable return.

            The dragon swept in a wide circle around him, its tail leaving a glowing ring to cage him in as its body rose up to tower over him with bloody claws curling and eyes narrowed as it made a low, unidentifiable sound.  Hiei's palm turned up as he tilted his head back and seemed to calmly watch those jaws open to bare its teeth as it dipped lower with serpentine grace, the rumbling dropping another octave as it seemed to stare down at that palm for a long moment.

            Hiei snorted, turning it again to rest flat on the dragon's snout as it let out another odd cry and ducked lower, leaning forward until it could rest that spot against the Jagan in what very nearly looked like affection.

            Kurama didn't need to look across the way to know that the poleaxed expression on his face was being mirrored on two more, hardly noticing when Shippou walked up beside him to watch curiously now that the dragon appeared docile and allowed his instincts to settle.

"Hn… so that's your little friend's finishing move?  No wonder," he sighed and folded his arms behind his head.  _That had to be too tempting to resist_.

'_That's damn impossible_,' Youko seethed, pointing at the scene in front of them furiously.  '_That's not Hiei, and that's _not_ Hiei's dragon!  If it were, Hiei would be unconscious in the grass with his arm torn up and scorched to hell!  What the _fuck_ kind of trick is this?!_'

Hiei's other hand lifted, sheathing his katana and patting the side of the dragon's head as more of that energy flashed and coiled around them, slowly gathering into a vortex at the center of his palm.  Little by little, the roiling energy receded, the dragon shrinking itself back down obediently as it allowed its power to calm and redistribute through Hiei's body carefully to prevent the usual weakness.

The ground pulsed once and again in echo to those wide arcs of ki before they gradually diminished, sucking back into Hiei's body and reabsorbing to leave behind only the very faintest of trace flickers until those too had disappeared.  And with his expression openly mirroring his amazement, Hiei turned his hand around to stare at it in disbelief, reaching up to grip his arm and curl his fingers to test the movement before his search extended to patting himself down curiously.

Right up until a blur of light came streaking out of the closing portal, catching Hiei by the throat and lifting him up to slam his body forcefully into the recently split rock at his back, before materializing into the scarlet-eyed form of a vividly enraged Sesshoumaru.

Clawed fingers shifted, pressing hard against two points on either side of the hybrid's neck that blocked off the blood-flow to his brain so rapidly that Hiei was unconscious before he'd done more than register the foreign presence in front of him.

Sesshoumaru continued to hold him suspended that way for a moment, staring at him with those unreadable eyes and bland face before he lifted the limp body over his shoulder, stalking off towards the West with the intent to take a more roundabout path to buy them more time, "Takashima."

"Yes?" Shippou's back stiffened, rushing to get to the taiyoukai's side as his eyes quickly scanned the slack lines of Hiei's face for any lingering pain, and breathing out a relieved sigh when there was nothing to be seen but calm unconsciousness.

"Prevent them from following this Sesshoumaru."

"Yay," Shippou muttered flatly under his breath, openly wincing at the command as Sesshoumaru took off with all the speed he possessed, raising a chilling wind in his passing that hummed dangerously with his anger-spiked ki.  Twisting around to look back at the rapidly darkening faces of Hiei's companions, his shoulders slumped even as he blew out a heavy sigh and reached for the hilts of his wakizashis, _Why do I get the all the annoying jobs?_


	37. Chaos of a Beating Heart

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  -tries very hard too look innocent- Now, now… I keep saying be patient an it'll all make sense eventually, don't I?  -grin- Everything in that last chapter happened the way it did for a reason, but… you didn't really expect me to make it that easy, did you??  -tsking- honestly.  Really, though, this chapter will have answers, and _yes_, a lot of answers.  So a few things you might be going "huh?" about should clear up (F.C.Chibi .).  But that's the only spoiler you get! –shakes finger scoldingly-  So stop getting ahead of yourselves and making the cliffhangers harder on your psyche than they already sound like they are. LOL!  This one was going to get cut in half too, but… then I kinda figured that it's nearly 40 chapters in, and you deserve a few more answers, ne?

Ahhh, much love time, as always.  My junkies, chat buddies, reviewers and readers.  You're fabulous and wonderful and I adore you all, as you should know by now!!  Why else would I put so much into cranking these babies out as quickly?  Okay, so maybe I'm scared of Kazusa, but I do it because I love you guys too.  You really make my day when you tell me what you enjoy when you're reading, and your thoughts.  –super ultra glomps-  You're the best! 

By Any Other Name 

Chaos of a Beating Heart

            Kaze looked up briefly, his fingers still poised above the _Go_ board moments before the wind in the courtyard went into a violent frenzy.  Dirt and ki swirled up, reaching for something human eyes couldn't see as a blur of white dropped from the sky, hovering to a stop barely a breath above allowing anything more than the energy behind the halted impact to flare outwards.  But even that was enough to send chairs and plants crashing over, hair and clothes whipping about fiercely as the unsuspecting family members caught in its path quickly braced against those brutal forces.

            Kaze's expression stayed as bland as ever with the exception of one eyebrow arching high when Sesshoumaru's feet came down lightly on the ground and sucked all the winds and ki back into himself like a back draft, leaving a heavy silence weighing in the air before he turned on his heel and stalked towards his private structures.  Yet the _real_ curiosity, the thing drawing the young monk's attention was the small youkai draped limply over the taiyoukai's shoulder, all that black standing out in stark contrast to the impeccable white of Sesshoumaru's most traditional attire to make his presence unmistakable.

            Before Kaze could think to follow or question, he felt one of the _Go_ pieces smack against his forehead and turned back to his cousin curiously, "What was that for?"

            "Can you at least pretend the wind doesn't talk to you for one day?" Shinju prodded without looking at him, sitting back with feigned laziness as he stuffed his hands into the sleeves of his kimono.  "I would like to make-believe that you can be surprised the same way I can be when he makes dramatic entrances like that."

            Kaze blew out an annoyed sigh, turning back to the board and pressing down his piece to close off his cousin's strategy as though they'd never been interrupted, "Are you going to keep up with that lie forever?"

            "It's worked so far," Shinju's smile was smug and quite a bit less innocent than he showed when others surrounded him.  "You should try it sometime, Kaze.  So many headaches can be avoided if you let them think your senses are dulled like as the rest of the family."

            "Otou-sama was correct when he told me that you would be a constant source of frustration in my life," Kaze returned in a mild tone, waiting for the predictable turning up of his younger cousin's nose before he added, "and Okaa-sama is not fooled by your insistences or antics."

            There was more genuine warmth in his expression as Shinju turned to watch their lord's progress until he vanished into the trees with his cargo, "Kaa-san has never been fooled by anything we do, Kaze, you know that just as well as I do.  But Tou-san was right… she's willing to fake it and play with us."

            For a moment there was nothing around them but the murmur of voices raised in speculation over the abnormal morning activity as they sat in companionable silence, the mundane noise punctuated by the soft _tap_ of their pieces as they laid them down.  Another moment, and Kaze's eyes lifted to peer over the rim of his glasses at his fidgeting cousin, letting a smile cross his lips as he gave in and reassured him, "Okaa-sama is fine."

            "You're sure of that?" Shinju demanded in a serious voice, grinding his teeth together against the urge to leave in search of Sesshoumaru and that youkai they'd met only briefly.  "What if he's not-?"

            "He would have been more angry if there had been a problem of that sort, Shinju," he nodded, voice purposefully softening to act as a soothing balm for the other monk's anxiety.  "Hiei-san was asleep, but there were no wounds.  Sesshoumaru-sama was probably only acting out his anger to calm himself and prevent potential difficulties in bringing him to such a state."

            "Wounds are not exclusive to the surface of the skin," Shinju shook his head with a deep sigh, looking far older and more serious than normal, but still closing his eyes and focusing on the meditative sound of polished stone on wood rather than more adding to that remark.

            "True," Kaze acknowledged quietly, glancing off in the direction the taiyoukai had gone again.  "Even so… there is no one more qualified to make that call and handle things should the need arise.  We are both aware that Sesshoumaru-sama will not allow mistakes of the past to be repeated."

            They allowed a few more minutes to pass, intently staring at their pieces as they searched for a weakness in the other's strategy before Shinju turned his wrist to stare at the digital display, "Think it's time?"

            "You're only saying that because you're losing," Kaze's lips twitched, but he nodded and rose to his feet, tugging the obi loose until he could unwind the material and lie it carefully on his chair before shrugging out of the kimono while Shinju mimicked his actions across the table.  He knelt, digging out their boots and tossing the correct pair to his cousin as they straightened the modernized taijiya attire with practiced ease.

            "Five hundred yen says he's made copies and resorted to mazing by now," Shinju grinned as he tied his mask in place and let out a piercing whistle back towards the main house.

            "I'll take that bet," Kaze smirked and nodded as he slipped off his glasses and laid them gently on the abandoned board.  Checking his katanas meticulously and patting down the rest of the hidden arsenal and tools, he habitually made certain everything was in its place by the time the rush of heat drew their gaze up to the twin-tailed youkai bounding across the roof.

            "C'mon, Kirara!" Shinju waved cheerfully, slinging the Hiraikotsu across his back.  "Let's go save Uncle Shippou before the other kitsune and his friends decide to eat him."

::………::

            If he had been a creature of any less noble blood and breeding, Sesshoumaru might have given into the urge to openly snarl out every crude, murderous thought pounding in his head with every step closer to the undisturbed privacy of his personal home.  He might have given in to the urge to melt the trees down to nothing, rip the walls around them to pieces, devour the kitsune avatar and all his friends on the spot-

Sesshoumaru allowed a faint smirk to curve his lips upward at the mental image accompanying that thought, decided that particularly pleasant fantasy would in no way diminish his carefully maintained reputation.  But even so, it was still nearly impossible to convince himself not to tear the shoji in half, rather forcing his clawed fingers to calmly, silently push the delicate barrier aside to admit his entry before closing it behind him the same way.

His eyes shifted towards Hiei when he felt the hybrid's aura react to their surroundings, the familiar pulse and lazy flow of youki making a careful search of the chamber until it retracted to wait, sending out impressions of expectancy that served to calm his temper a slight degree.

"Yes, you know where we are," he raised his other hand, the air in the chamber rising up in a chaotic spiral as he cleared everything from the center of the room without a passing thought to items he could hear breaking in their "reorganization."

With that completed, it was even more tempting to shrug the hybrid off his shoulder and let him simply drop to the floor in repayment for the headache he could feel starting right behind his eyes, but he resisted the juvenile urge as he had all the others and carried him to the cleared space.  However, he wasn't above pulling the youkai off with one hand tangled unceremoniously in the back of his shirt, holding him at arms length and letting him dangle in front of him for a brief perusal.  The taiyoukai allowed his expression a moment to show the full extent of his incensed disgust before schooling those emotions back to his bland mask and forcing himself to lower the motionless form gently to the ground.

Sesshoumaru knelt slowly, pressing the tip of one finger against the Hiei's shoulder to roll him flat onto his back and drag down across his shirt until that claw came to hover over the smaller youkai's heartbeat, "You are a bothersome thing to force this Sesshoumaru's return, to bring my miko into dangerous circumstances…"

He didn't expect an obvious response given the state of incapacitation Hiei was currently suffering, but instead waited until the youki flowing through his body swayed and gathered itself inward protectively, reacting to the heavy censure in his soft growl.

Satisfied at the calming of the aura and pulse back down into a steady rhythm, Sesshoumaru lowered hand enough for his claw to rest firmly on Hiei's sternum, pressing a second beside it as well before dragging them downwards.  He watched dispassionately as the fabric sliced open beneath his fingers, two symmetrical hairline wounds welling up with blood in the wake of his claws until he came to a pause just above the hybrid's navel.  An ominous crackle filled the air, energy arcing from Sesshoumaru's palm to the body below him and causing Hiei's muscles to jump and twitch in response to the dance of unfamiliar power over their surface when the taiyoukai's brows lowered in disapproval.

"Foolish creature," Sesshoumaru murmured quietly, splaying his fingers out wide as the energy darkened to a lurid shade of purple and moved in a more deliberate pattern, tracing circles around the center beat of life within the hybrid, learning the vibrations that would identify his aura, the feelings that were so very different from one being to the next.  "Do not believe yourself strong enough to fight this Sesshoumaru in this fashion.  You would not survive your failure," his hand raised, watching patiently until the searching energy snaked out in a faint circle where his fingertips had rested previously, marking a place.

The magic had barely touched to complete the identifying shape when Sesshoumaru's hand was plunging downwards into Hiei's stomach, ignoring the way the body lurched, back arching up against the violent intrusion of that appendage while his aura made a more concentrated effort to throw it out.

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow at the black fire sparking to life around his arm, eyes narrowing as he leaned his weight into the steady push deeper, focusing all of his ki forward until the resistance against his fingertips bowed and gave way.

"No one takes what belongs to this Sesshoumaru, hybrid," he intoned quietly, casting a look up at the taut lines of Hiei's expression.  His lips pulled up off his fangs in a blatant threat when he felt the unconscious aura trying to gather itself more threateningly, brushing it aside as he impossibly sunk his arm down into the smaller body nearly to the shoulder.

Hiei's mouth fell open in a soundless scream as he reacted to the hand searching so meticulously and intrusively through him, sucking in gulps of air audibly as his hands clenched into fists against the bamboo slats of the floor.

And still he paid no mind, face devoid of expression as he dragged his claws back and forth until Sesshoumaru's fingers finally brushed up against what he had been searching for.  Closing them with care to maintain his hold, he leaned back and drew his hand up slowly to prevent causing a potentially deadly shock to the youkai's soul… at least until he determined whether or not this Hiei was deserving of such a technique.

That same brow arched higher when the absent thought sent a jolt up his arm, the pulse within the hybrid's aura taking up a discordant rhythm with his heart the higher his arm rose out of the unconscious youkai.  Sesshoumaru paused, still buried to the elbow while he waited until the violet flames surrounding his intrusion expanded outward to wind around the more aggressive streaks of black, steadily absorbing it until the last of the threat was gone.

His lips twisted briefly in sardonic amusement when he felt the energy against his hand reluctantly peeling away, coming fluidly to his knees, "Yes… it is difficult, isn't it?  Feeling such warmth and power inside you, and feeling it being taken away an inch at a time…  But it is not for you.  Release it."

The violet fire grew brighter in response to his voice, wrapping around his hand and up his arm to suppress the last resistance in Hiei's aura and cling to him instead.  Sesshoumaru nodded in approval, lifting up and out of the hybrid until he could see the delicate, grey-tinted hand clasped within his own and contrasting harshly against his pale skin.

He breathed out a faint sigh when the slender fingers twitched, spreading out wide before they curled to weakly hold onto his hand in return as he rolled smoothly to his feet, watching that dark fire release his errant miko little by little until he was holding her suspended with her feet still dangling inside Hiei's arched form.

"Step out of him, Kagome," Sesshoumaru lowered his voice in consideration for what he knew her condition would be, tightening his fingers to encourage her glassy eyes to open and turn in his direction, grey and dulled, but still aware.  _Good_… 

Again he waited, all his senses closely focused on her as she obviously gathered her conscious thoughts back into herself, lips parting and closing when she decided against whatever she'd been about to say and instead obediently bent first one knee to lift her foot and shakily place it on the floor, then the other.

His arms were ready when her legs buckled, her drained limbs trying to drop her to the floor as her body readjusted to its surroundings and the overload of raw youki that left her natural color drained to that inhuman ash grey.  Kagome lifted eyes barely held open to look at his face again when he swept his haori over her naked shoulders, trying to curl in on herself when her entire aura gave off an audible pulse, expanding power outward in a violent shiver that pushed the already disrupted contents of the room harder against the walls.

Sesshoumaru slid his hand into her hair, pulling it aside as he lowered her to the ground, turning to look at Hiei when she convulsed and let out a choking cough.  He frowned sharply when he heard the thick sound of liquid hitting wood on the heels of the strongest convulsion, nose twitching in rebellion at the heavy metallic scent of blood.  Moving his other hand to offer support to her shaking body, he retracted the range of his senses to tell him clearly just how much blood she'd just expelled, but his gaze remained on the energy he could still see sparking across the hybrid youkai's aura.

His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits when those tracing flames shot upwards along his sweat-dotted skin, making circles just below his throat before sucking into his body and each throwing off faint pulses of their own as they burned away the last of the fabric holding his shirt together over the chest.

Under Sesshoumaru's darkening scowl, the last of the energy chased itself up to that single spot just below the sternal notch.  The sudden hissing sounded unnaturally loud in the stillness of the room as steam rose up in a slow curl from the hybrid's skin, the familiar magic snapping across his throat and flaring blindingly bring a single time before fading to leave nothing behind the pale symbol etched precisely in place until the sight was blurred by the rise of blood.

"You cannot possibly fathom how deeply in trouble you have just become, miko," Sesshoumaru murmured quietly, letting her hair slide out of his fingers in favor of pulling down the haori to press that palm flat against the intricate symbol glowing its answer in deep, lurid red on her bared upper back, waiting for the convulsions to end.

::………::

            Shippou snarled as he crashed against the ground yet again, dodging the whip that lashed out towards his throat through sheer habit alone as he twisted out of the way and bounded back to his feet.  He stood poised warily, attention split three ways and waiting for the next attack as he took stock of his own injuries and brushed them aside for inconsequential.  But even so, his shoulders heaved slightly, breathing hard as his eyes continuously darted around the grove to be certain he had their full attention for as long as Sesshoumaru deemed it necessary.

            It probably wouldn't have been so bad.  Even at their power levels, he might have been able to manage this distraction with words alone if Kurama hadn't tried to search for Kagome's aura on the heels of Sesshoumaru's departure.  It was bad enough that she was nowhere to been seen, but the second the kitsune had reached the broken rock and knelt down with that carefully blank expression on his face, Shippou had known he was in trouble.

            _I should have known she wouldn't risk hurting that damn thing even in this situation_, he gritted his teeth as his eyes returned to the vine wrapped around Kurama's wrist, scowling at the way it alternately mewled pathetically, casting about for the missing aura until it caught sight of him and started to hiss it's anger.  Even if he hadn't been able to understand what it was saying, it wasn't difficult to see that the plant blamed Shippou for its inability to find its mistress, not to mention the rage it could feel pouring off its much beloved master the longer they faced off in the destroyed grove.

            "I'm going to ask you again, kit," Kurama growled out darkly, eyes flashing bright gold as he took a step forward menacingly.  "_Where_ is Kagome?"

            "Sesshoumaru collected her," Shippou repeated in exasperation, trying not to wince at the pain that chased down his spine for a moment, nervously slanting a look towards the main house at the telltale echo.  "I told you, Kurama, she's _fine_ and she's safe.  She's stronger than you seem to think she is if you expect something like this to stop her."

            "He was only holding Hiei," Kurama squeezed his hands into fists, not taking the bait to change the subject as he bit back the urge to strangle the kitsune standing so tense and flighty in front of them.  _What the hell is going on here?_

            "Ah-Un picked her up," Shippou shrugged, grinding his teeth and mentally cursing every twisted god of Fate that he could think of in bringing another kitsune into their midst.  He could have lived with _any_ other breed but another of his own kind, another one who wouldn't be so easily put off with smooth lies and half-truths, "You weren't paying attention, and that's why you missed it."

            '_How stupid does he think we are?_' Youko hissed out furiously, folding his arms as well to stop his own desires to tear the boy in half and to hell with the consequences.  '_And what the fuck is "Ah-Un?"_'

            "You don't _really_ think I'm so young and trusting that I'd fall for that do you?" Kurama drawled out at Youko's prodding, lifting his hand up to encourage more vines to break away from his whip, growing and braiding themselves together around his arm in preparation to attack him a different way.  "You're lying… and you've been lying about her since we first met."

            Shippou's eyes narrowed, pushing himself up straighter as he wiped the blood away from his chin, "Your mistake is thinking I have some obligation to tell you the truth about anything that involves my sister or what we do.  Whether I'm lying or not, it makes no difference when any answer I give you is a favor.  You aren't even supposed to be here."

            '_Push him,_' Youko instructed in a low murmur.  '_Look at his eyes… he's confused and hurting inside, too much pressure and he'll snap, get careless.  If we can push him that far, he'll tell us what we want to know, and we can beat him even with that damn holy magic in his swords._'

            _You're certain of that?_ Kurama demanded.

            '_Positive,_' he nodded in answer.  '_It's one of my best tactics, but it works best on volatile temperaments.  He hasn't come down from that crazed-high he went through yet, he's been unsettled by something badly in whatever had hold of him when we found him, it's obvious.  His control is going to crack and he'll strike out at the nearest thing_.'

            _Us_.

            '_Exactly,_' Youko's smile was dark.  '_Then we can get him to tell us the truth about what the fuck happened to Kagome and Hiei when they took that attack_.  Someone_ took her, and we are going to find out who and when, or we're going to start destroying everything that belongs to Sesshoumaru until he gives us the answers we want_.'

            _Or kills us_, Kurama pointed out, not nearly as certain of their victory against the taiyoukai as his counterpart seemed to be.

            '_We will not die by the hands of these youkai_,' Youko promised him in a low whisper, winding his arms deep into their soul.  '_Push him, Kurama._'

            "Now you're lying to yourself too if you think I'll be satisfied with that," Kurama's lips pulled up in an instinctive threat when he and Youko blended to make that statement.  "My lover was bleeding and in pain, something hit her hard enough to suck the energy out of my rose and revert it to a seed where she _should_ have been.  Sesshoumaru comes flying out of Makai and kidnaps my friend, and now you're standing here as though you have any right to get in my way?  You're damn lucky I don't rip you apart right here for this disrespect."

            "Don't flatter yourself, _Red_," Shippou spat out, hunching down with a low-rising growl as his frustration found a convenient outlet for release at this arrogant kitsune trying to take away his sister a second time.  The fear was still there, too close to the surface for his peace of mind, and with it came every protective need he'd ever had for the girl who'd given him another chance, another family, "Better youkai than you have been trying and failing to kill me for centuries, which is more than I can say for _you_, isn't it, avatar?"

            Yuusuke and Kurabara nervously backed away from Kurama when they actually felt the growl vibrating off his body, looking up at his eyes to see the irises glowing scarlet as he focused all that chilling rage on Shippou, "Kur-?"

            "Your relationship to Kagome is the only reason I haven't tortured you into a slow, agonizing insanity," Youko completely ignored the men flanking him as he took control enough to snarl out that warning in a flat, deadly voice at that insulting jibe.  "But then, your words are brave when you know you have a near-invincible taiyoukai at your back to clean up whatever mess your mouth might make, aren't they?"

            "I clean up my own messes," Shippou denied that, bristling at the implication he was still nothing but a worthless child, having to rely on the strength of others… just like he had in the distant past.  He gritted his teeth hard against the nearly crushing wave of guilt that swept through him as his eyes darted around the smoldering grove, _No.  It's not the same!  I'm better than I was then, I can fight!  I can help-_

            "In the end it was Hiei who had to step in and handle this one, wasn't it?" Kurama taunted, dragging the taunt across the kitsune's senses with great precision when he saw the shadows flash through his eyes to prove its effectiveness.  "You fell apart and went berserk… who knows what would have happened if we hadn't been here to save your-"

            "It's _YOUR_ fault he's even coming after her again in the first place!" Shippou shot forward so quickly that Kurama barely managed to dodge the swing of those swords, flipping out of the way as the younger kitsune stayed low to the ground with a feral twist to his lips and a purely animal snarl.  "_You _disrupted the pattern, the peace we had… _You_ make her wish for things she had to leave behind!"

            Youko smirked coldly from inside their mind, the dangerous growl still pouring through him just as strongly as through Kurama, '_Ah, that's it… Get angry.  It's so much easier to guide them when they let go… so be a good kit and spill out those lovely secrets for us_.'

            "Things like her husband?" Kurama's eyes gleamed with shielded excitement at the thought of getting more answers to his questions on that topic, feeling both Yuusuke and Kurabara turning startled looks at him and belatedly remembering they hadn't been present at Kouga's appearance.  Shaking off the potential mess he was starting, he pressed on, "Did you kill him for taking her away from you too?  Is that how he died?"

            "How _dare _you suggest we would have laid a hand on Miroku!" Shippou landed a kick to his stomach that sent him back against a tree hard enough to feel the ancient wood crack beneath his back.  "_No one_ was more upset when he died that I was, but a selfish bastard like you wouldn't understand what our family went through to get to where we are now."

            Kurama's smile was cold as he blew out a heavy breath and pushed himself away from the trunk, moving his arms to be certain he hadn't broken anything as he took in the red glow flickering in the other kitsune's eyes, _I think I can live with that to finally have a name.  We've heard that before, Miroku… when she first touched us, she thought we were her husband_.

            '_Now the interesting question to that will be why_,' Youko nodded smugly, touching the tip of his tongue to one fang at the success off his plan.  '_Why was she expecting a fully grown man to have the soul of a husband who can't have been dead more than a few years?_'

            _Yes, that _will_ be interesting, won't it?_ Kurama twisted his head to encourage his neck to pop and release the stiffness that had gripped those joints.

            "I don't have time for this," Shippou's lip curled up in disdain, chin kicking up at a positively regal angle as he flicked both swords and sheathed them in an expert motion before reaching into his torn shirt to find three of his enchanted leaves.  "You're trespassing, and you should know as well as any youkai that it gives me the right to kill you."

            "You think you can do that, Shippou?" Kurama challenged, making his posture as casual as possible while his aura stayed warily attuned to the energy he was pouring into those leaves.  _He's panicking, he knows he just screwed up by telling us that much_.

            '_Not yet… but he's definitely putting all this frustration on our head_,' Youko tilted his head to regard the kitsune.  '_It _has _to be something about that memory he was going through, all this has to be connected, there's just no other way_._  Look at him, Kurama, his hands are shaking_.'

            "I will protect Kagome," Shippou replied in a hard voice, showing in no uncertain terms that he intended to do just that, regardless of the cost.

            '_On one hand, I admire his loyalty_,' Youko chuckled softly, very little humor in the sound as their ki again flowed together in preparation to the promise he could see in the kitsune's eyes.  '_And we can be certain that our lover is safe in his care, he'd defend her to his last breath_.'

            _That's going to make it hard to get him out of the way without killing him_, Kurama frowned slightly at that thought, glancing around at the plants at their disposal.  Shippou was already drawing his energy off the forest to make it easier to fight all three of them, but even his focus was straining the longer they had to keep up the constant battle.  And they _were_ a considerably older kitsune than he was, "You can't win, Shippou.  Even if you manage to beat me, what about Yuusuke?  Kurabara?  Can you fight us all?  You don't want to kill us, I can see it in your eyes."

            Shippou let out a bark of rude laughter, "Oh?  What do you think I want to do?  March you up to the main house and have tea?  Don't flatter yourself, Kurama, I have my orders and I'll do what I have to."

            "Then so will we," Kurama nodded, sliding his feet into a more open stance.  "You will not keep me away from her."

            "She doesn't need you," Shippou shook his head, flinging out the leaves and smirking when Kurama was forced to leap away from the holy power lashing out around them as the trees groaned and swept their branches around to strike him.

            '_So he wants to play with plants, does he?_' Youko's lips curved in a feral smile, feeling their eyes spark bright scarlet as he turned and held out a hand to the tree, expounding his youki in a forceful wave to exert his dominance and end the attack.  '_All right, little kit, let's play with plants_.'

            Shippou flipped agilely away from the return swing of the tree, eyes widening in alarm when Kurama pulled back his arm and plunged the vine blade he'd created down into the ground.  His eyes flashed as he expanded his aura, trying to feel what the older kitsune had intended, but the attempt to dodge came a second too late as those vines ripped out of the ground beneath his feet and latched onto his ankles to slam him back down.

            Kurama smirked briefly when he heard the rising curses from the boy pinned effectively to the grass by his vines as they separated and continued to wind themselves around his body to keep him right where the older kitsune directed.  Carefully he focused on releasing his arm from the other end, keeping only his whip and the rose he fully intended to wrap around Kagome's wrist himself to be certain it didn't find itself away from her again.

            Youko chuckled inside his mind, folding their arms again as they walked towards that seething bundle of kit jerking against the inescapable bonds of his net, '_Careful… your friends will accuse you that you really have gained some sort of fetish for- what did Hiei call it?  Organic bondage?_'

            _You really have the worst timing on occasion_, Kurama rolled his eyes, feeling more than seeing his two friends cautiously approaching from behind him as they stared down at Shippou's mutinous expression.  _Now is not the time to discuss sexual preferences_.

            '_Oh!  So you _are _into bondage_,' Youko grinned widely, highly entertained by the idea that even in the midst of this extreme mess, he could still find a way to tease his counterpart about such things.

            "Showing me your bedroom tricks isn't impressing me, you know," Shippou muttered sourly, unaware that he'd just continued on the same vein as Youko.  His eyebrow twitched when they came close enough to get the full effect of his glare as the bite of the plants began to force his mind back down to a calmer state, "I'm flattered, really, but you're not anywhere close to my type."

            Youko snickered at the muttered curses that brought from Kurama as a few helpless laughs snuck through his friends as well when the idea clicked in their heads and took on a whole new light, '_They'll never look at your whip the same way again_.'

            _There are times you make me hate myself_, Kurama reached up and rubbed his hand over his eyes, on one hand grateful that Shippou was a kitsune and could just as easily bounce from his dangerous mood to a more agreeable one as his own other half.  But on the other hand… he was a kitsune, and there would be a trade-off somewhere, which apparently had translated for Shippou into sarcasm and innuendo, two of their favorite fallbacks.

            Sighing irritably, Kurama flicked a hand to tighten to vines and spread him out in a more vulnerable position, making sure he wouldn't be swinging his swords anytime soon, "If I ever lost my mind enough to feel the need to show you my 'bedroom tricks,' you would know.  Now let's try this again, _where _is my-"

            "Hiraikotsu!"

            Reflex had them leaping away from the restrained kitsune just as they finally had a chance to see what that massive boomerang looked like flying through the air, curiously trailing it back to the boy standing like an acrobat on a sizeable flying cat above them.  Shinju held his hand up, catching the handle on the return and bearing the force of it's path with practiced ease as he brought it to rest, "Oi, Uncle, what are you playing around for?  Sesshoumaru-sama said to be serious!"

            The popping sound brought Kurama's gaze back down to his trap, gritting his teeth when he saw the little fox spring away from the loosened vines and transform back into his least-favorite investigator with a shake of his head, _Dammit all… this is setting us back!_

            Kirara landed with a growl for the three watching their addition tensely, tossing her head back as the two humans slid off and gave her reassuring pats to calm her own need to go to Shippou's defense.

            "What the hell is that thing?" Yuusuke demanded, pointing at Kirara as his own strained temper searched for an outlet.  "Where did you two come from?"

            "This is not a thing, this is Kirara, and she's been in our family for generations," Kaze informed him crisply, offended at the insult to their guardian.  "As for where we came from, Sesshoumaru-sama is a firm believer in having all bases covered."

            "Never would have guessed," he muttered out, sharing a frustrated look with Kurama as Shippou moved to stand with the taijiya, rubbing at his healing wrists as calmly as if he hadn't been staked out at their mercy less than a minute ago.  "So what are you planning to do?  Try to kill us?"

            "We'd rather not, especially since Kagome-sama is so fond of you, but I don't suppose there's any way that you'd agree to be patient and wait for Sesshoumaru to return your friend is there?" Shinju shrugged, reaching up to rub the back of his head as his eyes creased in a way that showed he was smiling at them behind the mask.

            "Is there any way you'll tell us why he kidnapped Hiei in the first place?" Kurama returned the question, cocking his head to one side as the vine on his arm mewled again and reached out for the pair.  _It can feel her on them?_

            '_They might have been the ones who pulled the pickup then,_' Youko regarded the boys more alertly, trying to detect how long ago they'd been in contact with Kagome, and more importantly, in what state.  '_With that fire cat, they could have made it in without us seeing it, and they could have just as easily gotten away over the fight in all the smoke_.'

            Shinju and Kaze were shaking their heads in unison before Shinju answered them, "Sorry, I can't tell you that, but I _can_ assure you that he's not dead, and he'll return to you on his own once he wakes up."

            "What about Kagome?" he rested one hand on his hip, mind racing for a way to trick them into directing all their focus on Yuusuke and Kurabara long enough to slip past them without getting anyone killed.

            "Sesshoumaru-sama will take care of her," Kaze lifted his swords up into a classic defensive position beside his brother.  "Her injuries are not fatal, but she will need time to rest and recover."

            '_Then she _was _hurt_,' Youko's eyes darkened in anger, elongating their fangs in reflex to his rising anger.  '_And they won't let us see her?_'

            "You can't stop me from going to her," Kurama murmured softly, dipping his chin just enough to hide his eyes beneath his bangs.

            Shinju sighed, hefting the boomerang and giving him an apologetic shrug, "Sorry… but that's exactly what we intend to do."

::………::

            "Nice of you to let me stop throwing up half my weight in blood before you started to scowl again," Kagome whispered, forehead resting on the floor as she focused on very carefully breathing in and out against the pain rushing through her with every beat of her heart.

            "This Sesshoumaru can be solicitous when the situation calls for it," he snorted, just before she felt his palm come down flat on her back, pressing on the darkly glowing symbols as the cooling flood of his own youki forced its way in.

            Kagome nearly moaned in relief, shoulders slumping and sinking down until she was sitting on her knees with her upper body draped down weakly over the floor, trying not to think too hard of the smear of blood leading from her current position to the disturbingly sizeable stain the taiyoukai had dragged her away from, "Don't stop doing that.  Please."

            Sesshoumaru watched the grey tint around the pulsing marks ripple and lighten, letting out his own sigh of relief at seeing her purification reawakening slowly, "You will now explain to this Sesshoumaru when your intelligence left you and made jumping into a strange hybrid youkai appear to be an option.  You were not in need of another carrier, miko."

            "I know that," her fingers weakly curled into fists, letting her eyes drift closed against the disjointed feeling of Hiei's darkest emotions beating at her soul, crying and screaming against the purification that rose to contain it and meld it with all the others.  "It was a reflex, and I didn't intend to get absorbed, but… his desire at the moment we faced the explosion was to protect me from injury.  I couldn't stop it when we hit the rock, I just… I just slipped inside."

            "Does he understand what happened, miko?" Sesshoumaru turned to scowl at the unconscious youkai he'd intentionally moved off to the side, just in case.

            Kagome shook her head, "No.  I could feel it.  He's never had someone inside his soul like that and there was a lot of smoke, so he was misinterpreting what his senses told him."

            "_He _was, or _you_ were guiding those interpretations?" he arched an eyebrow, but felt a tiny curl of amusement at the hint he could hear in her voice, proven by the way she squirmed in embarrassment at the accusation.

            "Like I said, Sesshoumaru, it was an accident," she grumbled, taking in a shaky breath when the tangled youki expanded against her efforts to restrain it, sensing the power so close at hand.  "I didn't think you'd appreciate if I told him he'd just absorbed the Shikon-no-Tama, and managed to join the family."

            "Then his sanity is still intact?"

            "The circle wouldn't be there if it wasn't, you know that," Kagome scolded quietly, the majority of her attention turning inward, fighting to soothe the violent emotions and coax them down to accept her powers rather than attempt to singularly possess them.  "You didn't hurt him, did you?"

            "He is uninjured," Sesshoumaru didn't sound overly enthusiastic about that particular fact, shifting his hand to add more of his youki to her aura when he sensed the new streak of rebellion.  "For the moment."

            "You were worse," Kagome snorted, wishing she had the energy to roll her eyes.  "It'll settle down, trust me… it's just… not a very easy aura to pull in.  He's used to housing a lot of pain and torment, but he has it under control."

            "For his sake, you had best be correct, miko," his fingers curled, letting the very tips of his claws contact her skin and rise tiny pools of pale violet fire as her aura naturally attempted to retreat into the familiar presence.  "This Sesshoumaru will not hesitate to rend his soul from your body and his own should it prove too wild to control.  This creature will not be allowed to become a danger to our family, even if you desire to protect the things you possess."

            "He'll be a strong ally," she whispered, bringing one arm down to wrap around her stomach as the pulse inside expanded with more force.  "I know you felt it, and his mind was still his own the entire time.  He won't be one of the ones that has to be absorbed, Sesshoumaru, he'll stay in one piece even after he finds out how his powers were enhanced."

            "But that _is _the question now, Kagome," Sesshoumaru leaned down, making certain her hair was moved aside to whisper in her ear.  "Now he is sleeping, and has no knowledge of what has changed within his soul… The insanity has waited to come to others when they wake, it may still corrupt him."

            "If that happens, I'll take him myself, you know I will," her brows furrowed in agitation, shuddering when too much attention left the painstaking adjustment, dragging another spasm through her already aching body.

            Sesshoumaru's hand stayed a steadying presence throughout it all, the low hum of his youki calming her senses and buffering against the darkness within until the tremor had passed.  Holding her hair aside when it brought a new wave of tainted blood to be vomited out, and gathering her up against him when it left her weak and shaking violently in the aftershocks.

            Finally, Sesshoumaru's hand lifted to circle her throat, carefully pulling until she was again sitting on her knees, but this time half-dangling from his hand as he kept her weight suspended to straighten her spine, "Come into me, miko.  This Sesshoumaru will offer the protection of his soul until your own is healed."

            Kagome's lips curved in a faint smile of gratitude even as her eyes opened a slit and flashed scarlet in the deepening shadows of the room as her soul warmed to the command, reaching backwards and letting her body follow suit until the hard wall of his chest softened against her.  A long sigh of pleasure left her lips at the potent flood of youki pushing out the pain and soreness the more her senses blurred and extended to lock into his offered soul until her eyes slipped closed and the last of her body faded into the stoic taiyoukai.

            Sesshoumaru's entire form gave off a heavy, disjointed pulse as the mark below his own throat flared to life and hummed deeply under the power thickening his blood with its intoxicating warmth.  His head tilted back, taking in a deep breath through his nose as the nearly overwhelming feeling settled firmly into place, expertly quieting the pulse and leaving him with the well-known tingling sensations tracing across his skin.  Whispering all it secrets and strengths to his body, light and heavy all at once… like a fullness, or a sense of completion.

            _Like being whole_.

            Sesshoumaru chuckled softly, the warmth and privacy bringing the emotion much closer to the surface as he dipped his head in agreement to Kagome's purred description, "Yes, miko.  We feel whole."


	38. HalfBurned Bridges

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Ugh.  My lovely little pattern was disrupted but super massive project with a deadline came up at work, and when there's legals involved it turns into a "drop everything and have this done last week" kinda situation.  Joy to my consumed world.  –rolls eyes-  I barely had time to make coffee and order take-out, let alone sit down and play with my favorite fictional characters.  Unfortunately the neglect has made a certain impatient kitsune restless and it'll probably be my head on a platter if I don't make with some good stuff to calm him down. –unhappy sigh-  Ah well, I'm so beyond happy to hear you guys liked the twist in the story! –wicked grin- As far as I know, it's an original twist, and you're in for a big long Q & A here within the next few chapters, but I'm not giving out any more than that.  Hee hee, evil is such beautiful fun.

Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely adore my reviewers who leave me such fabulous, fabulous encouragements and tell me about their thoughts and impression?  -giggles-  I love hearing favorite parts and rosie's "sticky-outty" bits kill me, and I think Aitu was one of the only ones who really touched on the Sunset/West conversation (just because you asked so nicely, yes, the kanji that makes up her name is the same you would use to write "sunset" and that's where that idea came from).  It's just uber to hear what's really hitting you all in the face about the story, and you're all wonderful for taking the time to tell me.  My junkies, buddies, reviewers, and readers, I adore you.  Thank you for sticking with this crazy idea for so long and being so supportive. –blows kisses prodigiously-

By Any Other Name 

Half-Burned Bridges

            Hiei slowly became aware of the strangest sensation gliding through his body, something he could never remember having felt in his long lifetime as the fog shrouding his mind pulled away with reluctance.  His body was strangely heavy, giving him an odd rush of déjà vu for just a moment before the rest of his senses assured him he was nowhere near a battlefield.  For that matter, they were telling him he was nowhere near anyone at all.  Confused, but unable to really bring himself to care enough to open his eyes, or even sit up, he settled for expanding his silent perusal of the area around him. 

            A deep breath in brought scents of old blood with an oddly sour note to it, as though soaked in poison or too much jyaki, but the odor was overpowered by another, newer scent.  Two really; one that clearly brought to mind wilder times with all the intricacies of pure lands and clean air, while the other was much more confusing.  But strangely compelling…  Not that he could put his finger on the cause, given the way it was so subtle and intermingled upon itself, but it was soothing, acting like a balm to his aching body and soul.  That scent was the one wrapping around him, keeping him ensconced in a cocoon of warmth and comfort that had him so loathe to fully rouse and leave his resting state.

            _Resting?_ Hiei's brows furrowed slightly in mystification as he actually realized what he'd just thought.  _But where-?_

            He shifted his weight, his movements lethargic and stiff as more of that haze pulled away to let him feel the futon beneath him and the blankets tucked securely over his body.  It took three tries to get his eyes to obey the command of his mind, opening a bare slit and blinking to clear his vision before he could actually make out the old-fashioned rafters and roof above him.  Turning his head to one side, Hiei's frown deepened as he failed to recognize his surroundings, going through the possibilities in his head but still coming up with nothing.

            _The dragon,_ he groaned softly as his hands twitched against the soft material around him, spreading out his fingers and willing his strength to return.  _I called the dragon, but… Kagome was right, it was under my control the entire time, separate from me_.  _It's never done that_… _and then Sesshoumaru-_

            The glide of wood and paper from somewhere behind him had his body tensing until the instinctive action sent a jolt of muted pain rolling through him that forced him to let his muscles go slack.  Gritting his teeth, he tried to lift up enough with his shoulder to look behind him, willing whatever had made that sound to come into his line of sight.  But he still wasn't entirely prepared when the strangely familiar face came into view, albeit upside down to stare curiously at his own wide-eyed gaze.

            "Ah, so Kagome-sama was right," her surprise faded faster than his own once she registered that he was awake, offering a smile as she walked to the edge of the futon to make it easier for Hiei to see her.  His head cocked slightly to one side when he saw the tray in her hands, roving his eyes over the teapot and the single cup waiting to be filled, "She said you had woken up."

            "Sango-sama?" Hiei finally managed to ask, jerking at the harsh sound of his own voice and swearing when his hand failed to lift to his throat the way he willed it to.  _Gods, what the hell happened to me?  Wait-_ his eyes darkened as memory returned, wincing against the pulse through his soul as the rapid images flitted through his consciousness.

            "Actually, my name is Ankoji," she laughed softly, kneeling down and setting the tray aside as she pressed her hands to her knees and bowed shallowly to him.  "I'm a descendant though, and Sesshoumaru-sama tells me that I resemble her almost as much as Shinju resembles her husband."

            "Sesshoumaru," Hiei repeated, the face taking shape in those flashes of memory as he recalled the taiyoukai's startling appearance, the hand choking off his breath and rendering him unconscious at a disturbing speed.  But if it really was the Western Lord who brought him here, why was he still alive?  In a bed?  What had happened?

            "Kagome-sama is giving him hell for being so rough with you, and she sent this," Ankoji gestured to the teapot.  "She says you probably feel like shit, but this will help your youki kick-start and get you back on your feet."

            "How did she know?" Hiei heard himself asking out loud, instantly scowling at being so vocal in front of this human.

            Either not noticing, or merely pretending not to, she shrugged one shoulder and reached for the pot to fill the cup halfway, "Kagome-sama has a sense about these things that we don't always understand.  But then, she's known Sesshoumaru-sama longer than any of us, and they're very close.  It's probably just that she knows how much damage he inflicts even casually when he's lost his temper."

            Hiei snorted at that, mentally noting that if this was a casual attack, he wasn't in a hurry to see the taiyoukai turn on him seriously, "Where is the miko?"

            Ankoji hesitated, her expression changing to become more shuttered before she murmured, "Sesshoumaru-sama is tending to her injuries, but she'll recover soon."

            He didn't have the slightest idea why, but the thought of the miko being hurt nearly infuriated him, turning his face aside to stare at the far wall as he got his expression under control enough to hide the uncharacteristic emotions.  Finally satisfied that the urge to growl and attack had faded away, he slanted his eyes back on the human holding the cup in one hand as she reached for him, "Where am I?"

            "You're on our property, in the main house," she answered easily, sliding her hand behind his head and lifting him up carefully to bring the cup to his lips.  "Don't glare at me for helping you, you couldn't sit up on your own right now if your life depended on it.  So shut up and drink this," she shot him a stern glare that very clearly reminded him on the Vengeance goddess, grudgingly admitting she was right as he huffed and focused on drinking the strangely fragrant tea.

            Almost immediately the weakness began to leave his limbs, the tea pleasantly burning its way to his stomach and radiating outward through his blood.  The heavy pulse came again, this time pushing that rejuvenating heat out to the tips of his fingers before returning to his heart and re-circulating until he could feel it spread throughout his entire body.  He hadn't even realized how cold he was until that feeling washed through him, closing his eyes in pleasure as he sighed and lifted his hands to wrap around the little cup on his own.

            Ankoji waited until she felt his muscles engage to hold him upright effectively on his own before pulling her hands away to sit back on her heels, waiting in silence for him to drain the cup and extend it out for more.  Her lips curved up in a smile at the brusque attitude, wondering to herself if it really was just a youkai thing as she obligingly refilled it and watched him savor the tonic more carefully this time.

            "Feeling better?" her smile widened at the disgruntled look on his face when he seemed to become conscious of how relaxed his position was.  But it turned to laughter when his hand came up to his chest, gaze snapping down in alarm to find he was wearing a traditional kimono instead of his own clothes, "I didn't dress you, if you're worried about that, but your shirt was ruined.  We thought you'd be happier to wake up in a kimono than you would be to wake up naked though, so we found you one of Kaze's old ones.  He went through a black phase too."

            Hiei shot her a bland look at the suggestion that his color of choice was comparable to a human "phase," but felt his tension ease at the explanation, "Where is my sword?"

            "Over there," Ankoji pointed to the blade laid carefully on top of what he imagined was his pants, folded into a neat bundle.  "Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagome-sama were the only ones who touched it."

            He nodded, not in the least bit surprised that in the heart of this mostly youkai family, they respected the ancient traditions and taboos surrounding the handling of another warrior's weapons without permission.  The two of them were obviously the heads of the family -how intimately associated with each other for those positions was still left to see- but regardless of that questionable issue, it was hardly a dishonor for them to be the ones caring for his sword when he was unable to do so.  "How long have I been here?"

            "You've been sleeping for about an hour," she refilled the cup automatically when it was extended again, violet eyes sparkling with amused delight as she added to that.  "Shippou is probably going to kill you for taking so long.  Sesshoumaru-sama ordered him to distract your friends and keep them from following you here."

            His brows rose, making him look oddly young as he prodded for clarification, "He's been fighting Kurama and those other two idiots all this time?"

            "Shinju and Kaze went to help with Kirara, but yes," Ankoji snickered at the thought, setting the empty teapot back on the tray and giving him a smile.  "Just because you were brought to the main house, doesn't mean Sesshoumaru-sama agreed to let your friends past the barriers.  But then, you were the one who tried to protect Kagome-sama, and _that_ is something we all take very seriously."

            When she rose to her feet, he turned a speculating look up at her and lowered his voice to question suspiciously, "Am I being held here?"

            Ankoji's eyes widened in surprise, shaking her head to deny that as she held out her hand for the return of the teacup before picking the tray back up and answering, "Of course not.  You're welcome to leave as soon as you feel strong enough to be moving on your own.  Kagome-sama wanted to come and make sure you were all right yourself, but Sesshoumaru-sama won't allow it in her condition."

            Again, that inexplicable rush of anger, fingers curling into fists as he fought to keep it down and turned his head away to prevent her from seeing the emotions he was having difficulty keeping under control.  For some reason, something inside him was tugging, stirring old, darker instincts every time the miko was mentioned and prodding these bizarre reactions. The words were hovering on the tip of his tongue, clamoring to get out against his best efforts to stop them until he finally gritted out through clenched teeth, "Tell the miko I am fine."

            She nodded once in satisfaction, her eyes softening with understanding at his averted face before she turned and walked to shoji, sliding it open and casting a look over her shoulder, "She'll appreciate your concern, and I'm sure Shippou would appreciate a break.  Your friends don't strike me as the patient type, ne?"

            Hiei blinked, staring silently at the closed screen as one brow slowly raised, _That was-?  I'm not imagining it, that little human girl all but told me to get out as soon as I could get up_.

            He was standing before he realized he'd moved, making a sound of impatience with the clinging, disconnected sense that refused to completely leave his mind.  His reactions were still dulled, his body lagging behind his thoughts despite his best efforts to rid himself of the weakness until he simply gave in and decided to make the most of his situation.  _There's no use forcing myself now when I'm not being threatened_, he tested his balance, bending his legs to be certain the numb heaviness had faded before leaving the futon.  _Better to save my energy_. 

The kimono felt strange, and he muttered to himself at the thought of what he'd hear from his companions when they caught sight of him dressed up in such a way.  _A youkai wearing robes that once belonged to a monk_, he sighed as he knelt to pick up his katana, tying it at his waist.  _That damn kitsune is going to kill himself laughing when he sees me in this._

            Not willing to run any further risk of a potentially embarrassing accident, he shook out his pants and stepped into them, working awkwardly to fasten them beneath the kimono as he searched out his shoes and double-checked that everything was in place.  That frown continued to worry over his features, eyes darting around at random as he tried to place the odd feeling niggling at the back of his mind.  Not a sense of danger, or even anything truly wrong, just… different?  That was definitely the word he was looking for, but what was causing it?

            Hiei shook his head violently, clasping one hand up over his ear when a swirl of whispers filtered into his mind and frowning when they vanished just as quickly, _This is pointless.  It's something about this house and all this- this nonsense today_.  _It will go away as soon as I leave_.

            _If only things were so simple_.

            The katana was drawn and poised in the blink of an eye, Hiei standing in a semi-crouch as he searched for the source of that ghosting murmur, _You must have a desire to die soon, trying to force your way into my head_.

            Laughter wrapped around him, too many voices to separate and count as they bounced off each other and echoed hollowly in his head.  But just as quickly as it had begun, the sound retracted abruptly, almost as if it was being sucked backwards to leave nothing but the previous silence weighing heavily on his disoriented mind.  For an instant he did nothing, frozen by the deprived, even empty feeling that pulled at his soul when those voices completely disappeared.

            _What in the flying _fuck_ is going on here!?_ Hiei snarled out, not exactly sure who or what he intended that frustrated hiss to reach, but feeling the need to vent it all the same.  The katana was slapped back to it's place at his hip with another string of curses, sliding his hand up into his hair and momentarily clenching his fingers into a fist, at a loss for what could possibly be dragging these buried emotions from him with such ease.

            Feeling cornered, Hiei gritted his teeth and spun around, stalking towards the shoji that would lead him back out into open air and hopefully clear this peculiar mess from his head.  His eyes gleamed as he stepped out into the hallway, casting about for a moment until his feet were turning to carry him to his left as thought his body already knew the way.

            Hiei could feel his eyebrow twitching, unable to come up with a single reason for having that awareness, and quelling the urge to stop and bang his head against the wall out of sight of any curious eyes.  The only thing saving him from it was the way his senses seemed to have opened, auras and scents flowing naturally all around him instead of that empty feeling that had plagued his interactions ever since they met this miko.

            Frustrated all over again, he raked a hand through his hair, pausing to lightly touch the bandana that had been rewrapped around his forehead as he continued down the silent hallway as his thoughts raced, _Damn_.  _There are just so many things about this whole situation_-

            The thought trailed off when he opened the door and found himself staring out at a scene straight out of the past.  He could feel his eyebrows rising in surprise, blinking at the surreal feelings wrapping around him as he stood there and watched the humans and youkai in the open courtyard milling about their duties in kimonos as old fashioned as the one he had been dressed in.  There were trees all around him, the air completely untainted by the odors and metallic auras that clung to the city and instantly bringing a sense of relaxation pouring through his body.

            Hiei wasn't sure how long he stood there, soaking in the unbelievable sensations when he felt the most powerful aura that had ever touched his senses flare up off to his left.  Effectively distracted from his surroundings, his focus narrowed as he turned his head and found himself meeting the golden gaze of Sesshoumaru.

            Instinctively his hand went to the hilt of his sword, all emotion wiping from his expression as he fanned out his awareness.  A faint smirk played about his lips at being able to feel the intricacies of the taiyoukai's ki as open to him as any other creature he'd tried to read, _It's about time_.  _But why now?  Do they leave their hiding stones somewhere else when they're here?  Or did something else-?_

            A clawed hand lifted, curling to make a summoning gesture that lifted his sleeves enough for Hiei to see Kagome curled up in a ball on his lap, her skin looking strangely grey as she slept with her head against his chest.  His brows furrowed as an inexplicable rise of concern had his feet moving, walking him along the porch towards the reclining youkai regarding him so intently.

            He noticed the smile curving Sesshoumaru's lips as he rounded the sharp angle of the structure to stand in front of them, but was unable to take his eyes from Kagome's drawn expression enough to truly care at his amusement, "What happened?"

            Sesshoumaru's eyebrow kicked up at the authoritative demand, sliding his arm back around Kagome in a possessive gesture as he shifted his weight to settle back more comfortably against the wall, "You actually believed that a human would suffer no ill effects from the attack you suffered?"

            "She said she wasn't hurt," Hiei protested, eyes snapping up accusingly to the taiyoukai's face.  "She was speaking to me, helping me-"

            A low chuckle had him biting off the sound of his voice, gritting his teeth furiously at the emotion he'd heard seeping into it as Sesshoumaru lifted his hand to rest on her head, "My miko is quite resilient in that respect, but she is not indestructible.  You, of all creatures, should understand that nothing is invulnerable."

            Hiei's brows drew together, searching at those flat eyes under the odd double meaning he could sense in those words, "Indeed."

            Sesshoumaru's gaze turned aside, staring off into the woods as the breeze artfully lifted his hair away from his face, billowing it out around him, "In two days, you will present yourself at Shinju's temple, and Kagome will be well enough to resume her teaching duties.  You may tell the avatar that at that time, he may continue bothering her with his previously outlined restrictions."

            Hiei blinked and felt himself smile as understanding dawned, _He wanted me to see Kagome and tell Kurama she's all right_.

            "My miko will speak with you privately at that time depending on your condition," he continued vaguely, only his eyes turning to look at Hiei's face.  "However, that discussion will also be effected by your behavior from this point until then.  The things you have seen and experienced are not meant to be shared, hybrid, understand this and the answers you no doubt crave will come."

            His hand curled over the hilt of his sword, automatically clenching his fingers at the taunt of information being dangled over his head, "In other words, you don't want me to speak to Kurama or the others in my company about any of this."

            Sesshoumaru dipped his head in agreement, "They have no need to know of what occurs within this family."

            Hiei's eyes widened, hand falling away from his sword as a wash of shock poured through him, "And… I do?"  _What the hell?_

            The taiyoukai's head turned back, eyes gleaming and a wicked smirk toying at his sculpted lips, "Two days, hybrid.  Now… Takashima is no doubt getting irritated given his feelings towards the avatar.  This Sesshoumaru suggests you handle it."

::………::

            Shinju brought up the Hiraikotsu just in time to block Kurabara's tiring downswing, bending his knees and focusing all his weight forward to send him crashing backwards into Yuusuke as Kaze deflected another shot of ki with his ofuda.  Breathing out heavily, he twisted to look at Shippou, wincing in reflex when Kurama's vines shot out and slammed the younger kitsune through yet another of the ancient trees.

            Kirara's growl had him looking up to the fire cat as she flashed across the grove for Shippou to hook his arm around her neck, swinging himself up before the points could fully impale him.

            "Are you trying to kill me?" Shippou screamed down at the man glaring up at him, warily eyeing the vines curling back to surround their master as Kurama held his palm flat against the injury the younger kitsune had scored against his side earlier.

            "The idea becomes more tempting with every passing minute," Kurama growled out darkly, not even bothering to hide his annoyance with how long the trio had managed to hold them at bay.

            '_This is fucking ridiculous!_' Youko snarled out in much less restrained anger, dying to take over and rip them all to pieces, but fully aware that the consequences of that desire were unacceptable.  '_Who _are _these little bastards to be able to fight us so effectively?  They look human, feel human, smell human… and Shippou!  That fucking punk shouldn't be giving us any trouble at all!  Gods, how the hell are they like this?  It doesn't make any sense-_'

            _They have to be pulling their strength from something that we can't feel_, Kurama scowled as he turned that possibility over in his head.  He was able to replenish his own energy from the woods around them, true, be even he was feeling the effects of the prolonged battle, _There's no other way_.

            "Perhaps you'd like to call a truce now, Kurama?" Shinju called out hopefully in the tense lull, keeping his senses alert for any new attacks from the two men struggling to untangle their weary limbs and stand.  "We could wait more peacefully for Hiei to return since it's obvious fighting is getting us nowhere."

            "If you explain _why_ he was taken and what has happened to my lover, I might consider it," Kurama repeated his terms to that arrangement, frowning at him sternly when the boy sighed and shook his head.

            "I'm sorry, but we can't do that," the same answer in that same implacable tone as Shinju wiped the back of his sleeve across his forehead to clear away the sweat.  "Hiei is unharmed and Kagome-sama is in Sesshoumaru-sama's care, that's all we can give you."

            "That's not good enough," Kurama shook his head, eyes hardening.  "I've been considerate given your relation to Kagome, but if I don't get the answers I want soon, I'm going to have to start fighting seriously."

            "Having troubles, Fox?"

            Kurama visibly jolted, darting backwards with his eyes rounding at the voice coming from directly behind him when there hadn't been the slightest clue to the hybrid's appearance, "What the _fuck_-?!"

            "Hiei-!" Yuusuke called out, pulling back and aiming his finger suddenly with tense confusion written across his face.  "Kurama, is it an illusion?"

            Hiei's expression filled with dry annoyance at that, rolling his eyes with a sigh as he folded his arms over his chest, "Obviously my absence has managed to decrease what little intelligence you had left."

            Kirara landed at Shippou's word when the ki in the grove dropped back down to less volatile levels, rumbling softly in concern when the kitsune slid off her back and stalked up to Hiei with a suspicious frown.  Hiei remained impassive at his approach, perplexed by their reactions and moreso by Kurama's seeming acceptance of Shippou's glaring focus.  But let it slide under the curiosity sparking inside him as to why the younger kitsune was suddenly so intently staring at his eyes, his ki rippling with a tense readiness that made Hiei's skin tingle under the urge to answer it.

            Shippou finally seemed to find what he was looking for, letting out a snort and setting one hand on his hip as he straightened to turn a sour look off into the woods, "Bastard."

            "What he means is that we're happy to see you're suffering no ill-effects from your earlier battle, Hiei-san," Shinju raised his voice to offer when he saw the interest spark in Kurama's eyes.  "Have you recovered?"

            Hiei shrugged, watching Shippou with narrowed eyes as the kitsune appeared to lose interest and return to Kirara's side, "I don't know why you all seem so determined to think I'm weak enough to be hurt by something so minor, but if you insult my strength in that manner again, I'll prove it to you more directly."

            There was a moment of silence, both sides processing what they were seeing and hearing while Hiei simply stood with one eyebrow arched as he waited for someone to speak.

            "Is that one of my old kimonos?" Kaze tilted his head to one side, speaking more to himself than anyone else as he regarded the hybrid's attire.

            Hiei gritted his teeth, closing his eyes and feeling that eyebrow twitch when he felt the collective attention in the grove more downward to take in his appearance, _I really should kill him_.

            The first snicker came from Yuusuke's direction, opening his eyes to send a warning scowl towards the man before he could comment, unaware that his reaction had reassured them more than anything else that it really was Hiei they were seeing.  Kimono and all…

            _I never thought I'd see the day_, Kurama couldn't help but offer, smiling with the release of tension when the hybrid rounded on him.

            _If you finish that, I'll cut you in half where you stand_, he fingered the hilt of his katana meaningfully.  _Now answer me, why in the hell are all of you staring at me as though I was an enemy?_

            _You don't know?_ Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, his eyes sweeping over Hiei from head to toe more thoroughly as he searched for something he didn't find.

            _Know what? _Hiei demanded.

            "What the hell happened to your ki?!" Kurabara's shout had the youkai flinching and turning disapproving looks on him for the unnecessary volume, Yuusuke taking advantage of his proximity to slap the pale-faced man upside the head.

            And yet… the same confused questions hovered in Yuusuke's dark eyes as well.

            It was Hiei's turn to look at them as though they'd just lost their minds, unaware of the shock he'd just sent through his companions at the easy display of the emotion across his face, "What are you idiots talking about?"

            '_Something is _not_ right here,_' Youko shielded the thought from the hybrid, an uncharacteristic note of concern creeping into his voice the longer they stared at Hiei.  '_He looks different_.'

            _Amongst other things,_ Kurama reached up to briefly rub his temples as he offered that exasperated remark before he answered the inquiring gaze.  "You feel like they do," he pointed to the brothers strapping their weapons back in place as they made their way back to Shippou and Kirara.  "You aura… it's just…" _not there_.

            The scowl was back, _That's not amusing_.

            _You think I would joke about that?_ Kurama shot him a disbelieving look, suspiciously turning his focus to Shippou as the other kitsune stood… pouting?  His eyes narrowed, letting Youko spill into his awareness to read the emotions in the youkai more clearly, _He is_.  _Shippou's pouting about Hiei?_

            _Something about it not being fair_, Hiei answered with a shrug, not even bothering to glance at Shippou when he suddenly went still.  He blinked, straightening his spine slowly and pivoting to look back at the other group with greater intensity, _It can't be_…

            Kurama felt a chill run down his spine at the surprise in the hybrid's thoughts, looking back and forth between his friend and the softly chatting trio, _Hiei?  Hiei, what happened?  Where did Sesshoumaru take you?  Did he do something to you?_

            Hiei's mouth opened instinctively to answer the kitsune's questions when something dark flashed through his mind and clapped it shut again with a click, Sesshoumaru's warning drifting back through his consciousness.

            :_Two days_.:

            _No… no_, _it was nothing, I just woke up and returned_, Hiei shook his head and brushed him off, grinding his teeth against the distaste he felt at withholding the truth from the one person he had truly come to trust.  But… he had no doubts that Sesshoumaru would hold to his promise, trading information for his silence.  _If I want to know what happened_, he trailed off, keeping his thoughts to himself as his hands clenched into fists against his sudden agitation.  _But I'm _feeling_ them, hearing parts of their thoughts now_.  _Shit, I was even speaking like this with Kagome as though it was the most natural thing in the world_.  _How did I miss that?!_

            '_He's lying,_' Youko's stunned pronouncement nearly had Kurama's mouth falling open, but he managed to stop himself just as he felt his jaw go slack.

            _That can't be, Hiei wouldn't lie to us about this!_ Kurama shot back, but the protest sounded more like a plea for reassurance than the surety he'd been aiming for.

            '_He is_,' Youko's hands curled into fists, tamping down his injured feelings at the implication of distrust and covering it with an angry growl.  '_That bastard taiyoukai did something to him, and he won't tell us what it is_.'

            Hiei lifted one hand to the side of his head, the muscle in his jaw flexing as he made a sound of discomfort before that hand dropped automatically to press flat just below his bruised throat at the pulse that suddenly went through him, _This situation has become even more complicated_.

            "Now that your friend has returned, we'll be leaving you," Shinju interrupted the undercurrents of tension to call out to them, lifting his hand into a casual prayer position as he bowed shallowly.  "Please be careful on your way back to the city, our woods are a dangerous place to be once the sun goes down, and it is very easy for even a youkai to get lost."

            "Whoa, wait!" Kurabara was the first to shout out, barely beating Yuusuke to the punch.  "Just like that?  You're going?"

            Shinju turned an innocent look on him, blue eyes catching the sunlight to glint in a peculiar way, "Yes, we're finished.  We told you that we were merely a distraction, and now that the need for it has passed, we're going home."

            "You can't just-" Yuusuke started to growl out.

            "Let them go," Hiei cut him off with an impatient gesture, refusing to look at the renewed stares he knew he was drawing from his companions with his behavior.  "There is nothing more to be done here, and we have our own matters to address."

            Shinju's bow was deeper this time, more respectful as he turned to join his cousin and Shippou on Kirara's back, "Please see to your injuries as soon as possible.  I'm certain it won't be long until we are meeting again."

            Hiei nodded back in acknowledgement, deciding he liked the voluminous sleeves of the kimono for at least one things as he folded his arms in them comfortably as he focused on Shippou to test out a nagging suspicion, _The miko is in Sesshoumaru's care_.

            _Kagome is always in Big Dog's "care" after a fight, jackass, if you got close enough to see her in that state, you can count yourself lucky to still have your throat_, Shippou's response filled his head without missing a beat, the blue eyes taking on a faintly green tinge as he slanted Hiei an annoyed look.  _And stay out of my head, I'm busy being pissed and plotting your death as slowly and agonizing as I can possibly make it_.

            He almost laughed, especially at the disgruntled expression that crossed the kitsune's face as the cat gave them a final growl and bounded up into the sky, but he restrained himself from giving into the strange urge, _You might try, kitsune_.

            _I said out_, Shippou didn't look back, holding out his hand to make an obscene gesture he'd learned from a foreigner, knowing the youkai on the ground would be able to see it clearly.

            This time Hiei did let a small chuckle escape, snapping Kurama's bewildered gaze around to him as he shook his head and turned in the opposite direction of Kirara's progress.  He started to walk away, that simple action further stunning his companions enough given his usual compulsion for speed that when he neared Yuusuke and Kurabara, the two nervously gave him a wide berth.

            Kurama was anticipating the twin looks that swung around to him at Hiei's passing, silently demanding that whatever was wrong be attended to by the member of their team who knew the hybrid best.  He was tempted to point out that they looked like teenagers again, uncertain and awkward as they impatiently waited for Kurama to "fix it" the way he always had.  Except this time, he wasn't even sure what was broken in the first place.

            '_I want to kill something_.'

            _I'm not sure I would stop you at the moment,_ Kurama admitted with a sigh that seemed to come from all the way from his toes as he muttered a choice curse under his breath and followed, lengthening his stride to overtake Hiei's pace before readjusting to match it.  "What happened to Kagome?" he demanded stiffly, silently wondering if the hybrid even intended to answer him.

            "She was sleeping when I left," Hiei calmly offered that truth, glancing at Kurama's tense expression out of the corner of his eye.  Easily sensing the kitsune's dissatisfaction with his earlier answers, he frowned and tried to expound without the other two hearing, _She was exhausted and didn't look well, but I was told to pass along that in two days we're supposed to go to their temple.  Sesshoumaru said you're allowed to "bother her" again after that._

             Kurama's eyes reflected his surprise at the message, blinking as he searched the openly amused hybrid's gaze, _Then you did speak with him_.

            '_He saw our lover_,' Youko prowled restlessly about within the confines of their soul, tense and wary even under the sudden wave of relief that poured through him before he opened back up to the hybrid.  '_What happened to her, Hiei?  Who took her?_'

            _Sesshoumaru,_ he shrugged.  _The explosion knocked us out, and the miko is a human_.  _She wasn't critically injured, Fox, but she didn't look like she'd be waking up anytime soon_.  _It was mostly like her energy had drained away_.

            Kurama slowed, starting to turn back the way he suspected led to the youkai "main house" when Hiei's hand snapped out and grabbed his wrist to stop him, "Hiei?"

            _Leave her be for now_.

            Kurama's eyes widened slowly at the stern command in his voice, momentarily stunned into silence until he noticed Hiei was still walking away, _What did they _do_ to him?_

            "Oi, Hiei!" Yuusuke called up to him, frowning at the disconcerting expressions crossing Kurama's face as he decided to try his own inquiry.  "You feeling all right?"

            "I feel fine," Hiei glanced back over his shoulder.  _Actually… I feel… good?_

            _Good,_ Kurama repeated dizzily.

            '_You never feel "good,"'_ Youko snorted distrustfully, eyeing the youkai as he tried to wrap his mind around the abrupt difference to the hybrid's mannerisms after having been so familiar with how they had always been.  But now the normally guarded youkai seemed calm and-

            _Calm_, Kurama whispered that observation again privately, sweeping his eyes more carefully over Hiei from behind as his brows drew together under his concentration.  _Holy gods… that's what's different.  Even the way he's carrying himself is relaxed, loose_.

            '_There's no reason for a meeting with Sesshoumaru to alter Hiei's behavior so drastically,_' Youko was dying to tie the hybrid down, pace around him and study him until he had solved this puzzle and regained his understanding of his partner.  '_These effects are deep if he is subconsciously effected, and worse, he doesn't seem to acknowledge he's under something's influence.  What could have reached so far into him to do this?_'

            _Sesshoumaru, obviously_.

            '_Don't get cute with me when I'm in this mood, I'll make your life a living hell in retaliation and you know I can do it,_' Youko snapped at him irritably, his mind fully focused on putting all the pieces he had of this together.  '_I dislike the idea of creature having the power to break into Hiei's mind so quickly and easily considering that is his own area of expertise.  His barriers are damn near impossible to penetrate_.'

            _He doesn't exactly look concerned over his condition,_ Kurama sighed heavily, raking a hand through his hair before he absently patted the whining rose still clinging to his forearm in silent reassurance.  On one hand, he was disturbed by the very sight of his friend, the empty feeling clinging to him amidst the vibrant ki flowing all around them from the uncivilized woods.  But on the other… his curiosity was nearly eating him alive, the thought that they were closer to discovering the reasons behind Sesshoumaru's abilities pounding over and over in his skull.

            '_Except Hiei isn't talking_,' Youko pointed out the single, crucial flaw in their plans to gain more understanding.  '_And _we_ can't get into his head unless he lets us in_.'

            "I'm hungry," Hiei's voice cut through the tension again, oddly vague and unnaturally soft as though he was testing the words out as they left his lips.  He paused and glanced back at them, either not noticing or simply ignoring the unease on their expressions to see his face lacking its usual tension, "I'll find you later after I've eaten."

            "Wait, Hiei-!" Kurama called out, hand raised even as the hybrid seemed to vanish.  Curling his fingers into a fist, he growled out angrily and flung it out in an expansive gesture that had trees uprooting in a lopsided crescent around him, "Dammit all to hell!"  _He shouldn't be alone right now_.

            '_Whether he should or shouldn't makes no difference,_' Youko didn't sound the least bit pleased to be admitting to that.  '_Now we can't feel him any more than we can feel Sesshoumaru or Shippou, and that means if he wants to be alone, he's going to be alone_.'

            "Kurama, what the fuck happened to him?" Yuusuke's voice snapped him out of his internal thoughts, turning him back to see his two companions looked a bit the worse for wear in their confused and battered states.

            "I don't know," he set his jaw and spun around so quickly his hair flipped out behind him before settling back into place as he continued stalking back towards the road.  _But I'm going to find out_.


	39. Behind the Crescent Moon

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:  Actually, I wasn't intending to do this chapter _quite_ yet, but at the same time… it nagged at me that it was the best place.  So here you have it. –grins- Why do I suddenly have an ominous feeling trailing down my spine?  Ah well, like I said, these next chapters are going to be important, so as much as I try to keep them a decent size, they like to run away with me and become beastly. –sighs-  This nearly ran over and tried to just ignore the need for a next chapter, but… well, you'll see.

My lovely junkies, buddies, reviewers, and readers… as always I have to come back and say how very much I adore hearing from you.  And considering they've been saying something every chapter from the beginning, or very nearly: tessa, Gravidy, Lillo, Fallon, tbiris, Marilyn, SuzumeTenshi, Silver Neko, Sylvanna, Blue… you guys are uber, telling me so often what you enjoyed with such details.  Mou, but that's one reason I try not to name names… I don't want anyone to feel left out and there are just so many that I want to glomp and squeal over, but if I did that, there wouldn't be any room for the story.  Believe me when I say that I think every single one of you guys is absolutely fabulous, and you always make my day that much more fun.  And so… in my supreme gratitude… here is the latest installment. 

By Any Other Name 

Behind the Crescent Moon

            :_"Ow, all right, I'll go now!"_

_            Kagome blinked and looked up from the picture Shippou was enthusiastically holding up for her perusal, eyes drawn over to where Miroku sat rubbing the back of his head with an rather chagrined, even reluctant expression_._  Curious and confused, her gaze slid to the exterminator responsible for his newest minor injury, cocking her head to one side when she noted the way the woman was clenching her jaw_, _her face devoid of the usual exasperation that accompanied such swats_.  _A niggling feeling of worry bubbled up in her chest the longer she stared at the married couple, ruffling Shippou's hair and nodding in their direction to show she needed to address the sudden tension_.

            _"Miroku-sama?  Sango-chan?  Is everything all right?" Kagome made sure her voice was loud enough to travel, but soft enough not to disrupt any of the other guests in the house they had stopped in for the night_.__

_            Sango averted her face, her fingers curling into fists against her thighs for a moment before she was suddenly digging her elbow into Miroku's ribs, prompting another yelp of protest as the monk hurried to speak, "Ah, Kagome-sama_…_ Actually, there is something-"_

_            Kagome shared a confused look with Shippou at the odd behavior, causing the little kitsune to shrug before he bounded up onto her shoulder to try and help her figure out why neither of their friends were making eye contact with the concerned miko_.  _"Something-?" she prodded when he uncharacteristically seemed to be at a loss for words, but then understanding dawned and her cheeks turned pink_._  "Oh!  I'm so sorry!  Shippou-chan and I will go sit with Inuyasha until-"_

_            "No, not that," Miroku held out his hand, a look of discomfort crossing his face as he shared a private, serious look with his wife before taking a deep breath and fully turning his attention to her_.  _"Kagome-sama… Would you-?  Would you walk with me a moment?"_

            _Kagome blinked silently, searching his face at the myriad of guarded emotions darkening those somber violet eyes before again glancing at Sango_._  Her brow furrowed under an odd sense of foreboding when she realized there was a hint of color staining the older girl's cheeks in the lamplight, but she was already nodding in an effort to reassure the fear making the air seem almost suffocating_,_ "I-  Yes, Miroku-sama, if you need to talk…"_

_            His shoulders seemed to slump with relief, reaching over briefly to take Sango's hand and squeeze before he rose with fluid grace, "There is a matter that I would like your advice in_… _alone, please._"

            _Shippou reluctantly hopped down at Kagome's prodding, turning a suspicious frown on the lecherous monk until the miko whispered in his ear that she would call for him first should the need arise_._  Puffing up importantly at the distinction, and even ignoring the sound from outside the door that sounded like a "Keh," Shippou grinned and settled down with his arms folded, "I'll be listening for you, I promise!"_

            _Kagome smiled affectionately and ruffled his hair again before she stood, stretching to relieve the stiffness in her muscles from sitting in the same position too long before she followed the monk to the shoji_.  _The summer air was balmy against her face as the screen parted to allow it into the room, but Kagome attention was far removed from such banal things as she turned a surreptitious look back at Sango.  Only to have her confusion sink deeper at the almost pleading hope  she could see in the eyes watching them step outside_.

            What in the world is going on?_ Kagome frowned and shook her head as Miroku turned and murmured a few words to Inuyasha, waiting for the hanyou to nod and wave a hand dismissively before he gestured for her to walk with him_.

            _She wasn't sure how long they had walked, but she was certain time had slowed, considering how long it felt only to see that they had only moved into the deserted garden of the wealthy home_.  _Anxiety made her heart beat loudly in her ears, stepping forward and reaching out hesitantly to rest her hand on Miroku's shoulder when the monk stopped and simply stared up at the sky_.  _"Miroku-sama… what's wrong?"_

            _Miroku's gaze stayed fixed upwards_,_ but the moonlight clearly revealed the faintly bitter smile that touched his lips, "The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it, Kagome-sama?"_

            _Sighing slightly, she obediently turned to look up at it, trying not to let her imagination run wild at the thought that Miroku was so deeply troubled by what he wanted to discuss that he was putting it off under pleasantries_, _"Very beautiful_._"_

_            "I love Sango very much_._"_

_            Kagome's eyes widened, the moon completely forgotten as she stared hard at his profile, "I've always known that_…_ but- why did you need to bring me out here to tell me that?  We all know how you feel_._"_

_            Miroku sighed again, eyes closing as his chin tilted down in a thoughtful gesture, the rings of his shakujou filling the still air with their soft melody when he readjusted his grip on the weapon, "Because I need you to understand, Kagome-sama_.  _More than anyone_."

            The curse,_ Kagome's eyes filled with understanding, making a soft noise of sympathy as she gave his shoulder a light squeeze.  "We'll finish it, Miroku-sama, we're close.  And then you and Sango-chan will settle down with all your children and live out happy lives until you're old and senile_._"_

_            The smile that pulled at his lips was amused at her words, but a bit sad at the same time, sending off warning bells in her head when he finally turned the full weight of his eyes onto her own, "We have been trying_._"_

_            "Trying-?" Kagome started to question when the answer nearly slapped her in the face and stopped her words.  _Trying… they've been trying to have a baby?  Already?

            _As though reading the thoughts, Miroku dipped his head in acknowledgment, "Sango- Sango does not want to think that there could be nothing left of me_…_ should the uncertainty of our fates hold something darker than we wish_.  _And I have no fears that Inuyasha or you would allow any child of mine to suffer my curse, even if I_-_"_

_            "Don't say it," Kagome's voice turned sharp, glaring at him angrily as she took a step forward to hiss her next words in his face.  "You aren't going to die, Miroku-sama, we won't let you_._  But if you're looking for my support about you and Sango trying to have children, you should already know that I love you both, and you don't need to ask to know you have it_._"_

_            Miroku stared down at her silently, the emotions in his eyes unreadable as Kagome felt the anger melt from her expression back into concerned insecurity at his strange reaction, "Kagome-sama_…_ Sango is unable to have children_._"_

_            This time the silence that settled over them was deafening, Kagome's face blank in her shock at hearing those damning words fall so quietly from his lips, shrouded in pain, regret, and too many other things to fully define_.  _She shook her head, folding her arms in an absent gesture over her stomach as though doing so would make those words a lie, "You don't know that_._  It hasn't been that long, Miroku-sama, you shouldn't give up_._"_

_            "The lifestyle that taijiya choose to live is not easy on the body, Kagome-sama," he spoke gently, offering her a smile that only reflected the melancholy light in his eyes.  "We knew it was possible, and even Sango is aware that the infrequency of her cycle does not suggest we will succeed no matter how long we try for a child_._"_

_            "Miroku-sama," Kagome whispered, hardly knowing what she could say to the monk to make the situation seem any more hopeful_._  Biting her lip, she turned to look back up at the moon, struggling for anything that wouldn't sound shallow and pedantic_._  But finally she just shook her head, "I-  I don't know what to say_._"_

_            Silence again fell between them, weighing heavily on Kagome's spirit until she could feel the prick of tears against the back of her eyes, _It's not fair.  Sango-chan and Miroku-sama deserve children more than anyone!  She always talks to me about what she intends to do with her family, all the plans and the dreams…

            _"Sango and I have spoken about this for some time," Miroku was finally the one to speak again, standing shoulder to shoulder with her as his eyes followed her line of focus.  "We still want a family… with as many children as we can possibly have_.  _If the gods are only willing to grant us the answer we seek_._"_

_            Kagome could feel him tense beside her, fiddling with his staff in a nervous gesture that seemed so very out of place in the monk she had come to know so well since their paths first crossed.  Still not trusting her voice, Kagome let her hand fall away from his shoulder to clasp them in front of her rather than let him see the way they were shaking, _No wonder Sango-chan has been so withdrawn lately.

_            "Sango… asked me to discuss this with you_._"_

_            Confusion tried to edge into her mind again until her eyes opened in realization, turning to face him as she rushed out in sudden, hopeful eagerness, "My time!  My time has things that could help!  Maybe if I asked the next time I went back, I could_-"

            _Miroku had lifted two fingers to press against her lips and stop the flood of words, smiling warmly at the perplexed question in her eyes as he shook his head at her_.  _He glanced briefly to find a place to rest his staff_,_ leaning it carefully against one of the boulders adorning the garden before he sighed and took both her hands in his, "Kagome-sama… would you do me the great honor of bearing my child?"_

_            Kagome's mind went completely blank, lips parting as her jaw went slack under the absolute seriousness in the dark eyes meeting hers with that unflinching plea.  How much time passed as she stared up at him, she didn't know, but it felt like an eternity until she was choking out_, _"Wh-what?"_

_            "Sango and I are from _this_ time, Kagome-sama_,_" he squeezed her lax hands, swallowing hard as he tried to explain what it had taken he and Sango so many nights to think of the words they needed to use_.  _"As much as we respect the things that come through the well with you, neither of us believe that we should try them for something that should be a natural thing between husband and wife_._  I would…  It would be a great gift to us if you would join our family_.  _We could ask Kaede or even one of the elders we impose on in these villages to marry us_._"_

_            Kagome's mouth went dry, _He… Oh gods, they mean it. 

            _"Sango would never accept another woman as my second wife the way she accepts you," his voice lowered as he struggled to assuage the fears and questions they had planned for her having, his anxiety rising under her continued silence.  "She loves you as much as I do, Kagome-sama, and we… we could be happy together_.  _We could be a real family_._"_

_            "Sango-chan… asked?" Kagome heard herself asking in awe_.

            _"She told me she had spoken with you about the way things were done in your time," Miroku nodded in answer to her question.  "She wanted to be certain that asking another woman to bear the children of your husband in such an event was not offensive to you_._"_

Sango asked,_ Kagome's mind repeated again, scarcely believing it was true, but then again-  There had been conversations during their baths, discussions that Kagome had thought were nothing more than curiosity rather than a woman searching for another wife to her own husband.  It had never occurred to her_._  And yet, this was not something Miroku would consider lightly, not when he was literally proposing marriage to her here with his eyes filled with such hope and longing.  _They want to have children so badly that they're willing to come to me like this.

            _"I would promise to love you, Kagome," Miroku dropped the honorific, startling her when she found his hand cupping her cheek with such care that she might as well have been made of glass_.  _"I would take care of you in any way you wished me to, and… if you are taken away from us in the end-"_

_            Kagome's eyes closed, unable to keep her thoughts collected under the way he was looking at her_.  _Her mind was racing, everything in her pulling in different directions as her conscience and desires warred against themselves until she again heard her own voice.  Something from deep within her soul already murmuring her answer softly, "You and Sango-chan shouldn't be nearby when I talk to Inuyasha_…_"_:

            Kagome opened her eyes, sucking a breath as her mind pulled back from the disturbingly clear images of her fever-dreams.  Her back arched, reflexively stretching in protest at having been in one position for so long as she inwardly shook off the fuzzy disorientation clinging to her thoughts and struggled to settle her racing heartbeat.  _Miroku-sama_, she sighed, rolling over onto her side as she curled into a ball, closing her eyes again to cling to those poignant feelings just a little while longer.

            She hadn't anticipated the sheer strength of Hiei's emotions, and even now her soul still felt raw under the effort it took to purge the tainted edge she'd absorbed out of him.  All her own memories were resurfacing in random bursts, mingling in with the things she knew had come out of his own experiences, making her groan and reach up to rub her temples to help banish the ache starting there, _I knew he was strong, but dammit…  I didn't need him knocking all this loose while I was inside him_.  _He's going to be confused if he's catching any echoes from these_.

            Kagome forced her eyes to open, working her hands down underneath her to help her sit up as she fanned out her senses to search for Shippou and Sesshoumaru's auras in the house and relieved when she found them both sleeping easily.  The last thing she wanted was to give the two of them nightmares of what she'd seen in Hiei's head, or the other things filtering out while her control was focused on more important matters.

            _I might as well stay awake now_, she raked a hand through her hair, blinking to bring the dark room into focus and find her kimono folded neatly beside the futon.  The sight brought an amused smile to her lips, the details of the room's setup screaming of Sesshoumaru's efficiency and foresight regarding the things she would need when her energy returned.  Although she did have a passing moment of curiosity over how long it had taken the taiyoukai to convince Shippou that she didn't need a constant watcher, given how badly the kitsune hovered at times like these. 

            But then… Shippou only seen the difficult ones in the past, and she knew better than anyone how those memories had stuck with him.

            _I'll have to talk to him again so he doesn't lash out at Hiei_, Kagome made a face, habitually tying the kimono closed on her way to the shoji, reaching out to take Miroku's shakujou from it's place beside that doorway and carry it with her out onto the porch.  _Damn overprotective youkai males_.

            However, she was still smiling as she looked up at the waning crescent hanging low in the sky, breathing in a deep breath of the untainted air as she slowly sat down on the edge to brush her feet against the grass.  It was later than she had anticipated, lazily sweeping out her senses again to find out who was home and if she was the only one up at this ungodly hour.

            One discordant pulse had her brows snapping down in confusion, turning towards the direction she could feel his aura, _Shinju?  What in the world is he doing up this late after the day we had?_

            Blowing out a sigh of affectionate exasperation, she rolled to her feet and stepped down into the grass, following the feel of that vibration as she muttered to herself over just how similar the young monk was to the one who had started the line.  How many nights had she woken up only to find her bed empty and the feel of Miroku somewhere away from them all, lost in his thoughts or meditations when doubts or dreams kept him from his needed sleep?

            Funny how close you could think you were to someone… only to realize that you hardly knew them at all.  For Kagome, it had taken marriage to get past that last wall and finally see every last thing that made up her "husband's" character, to see the bad with the good.  She had never suspected the charming, easy-going monk had held the depths of emotion he had taught her how to feel, but the memories were so treasured now.  The trust alone that he had placed in her…

            She sighed as she walked through the trees, reaching out a hand now and then to lovingly trace her fingers over the bark to draw the ki inside each one up to the surface and warm the air around her.  A smile crossed her lips when she reached the grove Shippou had called the "thinking spot," not in the least surprised to see the familiar figure seated on the time-worn boulder centered in the flat space and staring up at the night sky.

            _Just like Miroku_, Kagome shook her head, well aware that he knew she was there if only from the soft jingle of the shakujou's rings as she stepped away from the trees to pull herself up beside him.  Keeping her eyes trained upwards as well, she gently set the staff aside, tracing her fingertip along the razor edge before she murmured, "Beautiful night."

            Her peripheral vision picked up the familiar gloved hand folding into his lap, the innocent rosary beads clicking against each other as he reached over to absently curl his fingers over hers, "Shippou and Sesshoumaru have been very meticulous in preserving these lands since our family reclaimed them."

            Kagome's attention was trapped on the hand loosely holding hers, memories of sitting in this same position with Miroku on such clear nights rising to blur the clarity of the scene around her.  Voices from her dreams whispered through her head, jumbled and overlapping until she pushed them back with effort and brought herself back to the present.  She squeezed his hand tightly, biting her lip against the sudden sting of tears as she answered, "I'd almost forgotten what it was like to see the moon without the pollution from the city."

            "Sometimes there are more important things to think of than old memories," he shifted closer to her as he sensed the change in her mood, bumping her with his hip until she instinctively readjusted her position.  He waited until her head came to rest on his shoulder, the tension easing out of her body a little at a time, "Not to say those memories should be forgotten, but the past can only bring a measure of the happiness to be found in the present."

            Kagome's lips curved upwards in amusement, "I should have known the descendants of Miroku-sama would be so much like him.  He always did know exactly what to say to me."

            "You were very precious to him, Kagome," the monk answered her with a sigh, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and tucking her up against his side before resting his chin comfortably on her head.  "The family he always wanted, the children that came to him were all because of you."

            She slipped her arm easily around his waist, closing her eyes to pretend she was still in the dream; that for another moment she really was still sitting with Miroku and letting all the suppressed emotions wash over her, "Shippou told me that Sango finally had her own.  After the jewel threw me back here…"

            "Kazenatsu and Kyuuei gave off powerful auras together as they grew older," she felt him nod against her.  "The family records clearly show it was the mix of your blood and quite probably your wishes that made Sango's healing possible."

            Kagome snorted at that, "I don't know how they could give me that kind of credit.  I didn't even have time to think, let alone focus to make an elaborate wish like that when I felt myself being taken.  I'm half surprised I didn't accidentally level the whole damn mountain."

            "It wouldn't have been possible without you," he repeated firmly.

            Kagome turned her face towards him, pressing her cheek against his chest and breathing in the scent and feel of Miroku's presence so strongly pulsing through his body, "I loved them, Shinju-chan.  Even if I knew it would end the same way, I would still do it a million times over again."

            They sat in comfortable silence for a long moment, watching the sky until he shifted against her, the arm across her shoulders tightening before he lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered, "So would I."

            Kagome went perfectly still, her eyes snapping open as she felt the bottom abruptly drop out of her stomach.  She could practically feel her pupils dilate, eyes starting to glow as adrenaline flushed through her veins until her thoughts reconnected with a sharp jolt.  Shoving back out of his arms, she twisted around to stare up into the violet eyes trained on her face-

            Violet eyes…

            "_Miroku?_"

::………::

            Kurama muttered a few choice words when he entered the bedroom he was sharing with the hybrid, rubbing his hand over his eyes at the number of empty ice-cream pints and assorted bentos littering the floor, "Hungry, my ass… Goddammit, he could have at least cleaned up after himself."

            '_At least we know we're on the right track,_' Youko snorted dryly.  '_I told you I always suspected that if Hiei ever unwound a little he'd go straight for something sweet_.  _Or didn't you notice how many times he's taken nothing but our dessert?_'

            _Just lovely_, Kurama leaned out the window, searching the trees in the hope that he would be that easy to find, and not the least bit surprised that the youkai was nowhere in sight.  _So… where would Hiei go after consuming enough sugar to kill a small human?_

            Youko sighed thoughtfully, pulling them up to rest on the windowsill as he scanned the night air with more intent, '_If it was any other time, I'd say he'd be in the Makai looking for something to kill.  The way he was though, I'm not sure what the hell he'd do._'

            _It's better than nothing_, Kurama dropped from that small ledge soundlessly to walk into the moonlit woods, searching out any traces of disruption that would indicate a portal being torn open.  Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, he briefly closed his eyes and let the energy around him soothe his rattled nerves before they opened again to gleaming gold, _If it hasn't been too long, maybe we can force open the point he used and track him more effectively from his starting point_.

            '_I'm going to hit him for the hell of it when we find him, you know that right?_' Youko informed him just as casually as if he'd remarked on picking out a pair of shoes.  '_He's lying to us, running off to gods know where when he knows we can't feel him, _and _his information regarding our lover's condition was unsatisfactory.  I want details and I want answers to why he stopped us from going to her when she's hurt_-'

            _We'll get them, _Kurama didn't even bother calming him down as he made the assurance, feeding off the angry energy to heighten his senses.  _I don't care what Sesshoumaru did to him, or what he said, we'll pin his ass down and beat it out of him if we have to_.

            Youko managed to squelch his surprise at the violent growl edging his counterpart's voice, blinking as he turned his attention inward to find just how deeply they had been effected, '_Well, shit… I didn't think we were _that _upset_.'

            Kurama didn't respond to that aside from gritting his teeth and lengthening his stride to move through the trees that much faster.

            Youko's sigh was deep enough that Kurama echoed it physically just as the kitsune wound his arms around their soul and brought him to a jerking stop.  Shaking his head, his gave Kurama the impression of bringing his lips up to his ear to whisper, '_These creatures will not take away the things that belong to us so easily, Kurama_.  _Whatever they have done to Hiei, we can fix it.  And then we will find our lover and make sure that we are so deep inside her soul that they can't think to try this against us another time._'

            Kurama closed his eyes, willingly sinking into the feeling of comfort Youko was exuding as he took a cleansing breath, _I know that_.

            '_Then why are you allowing yourself to be unsettled?_' he clucked his tongue in disapproval.

            Times like this, Kurama wished there was some way to actually sit face-to-face with Youko, to be able to read his expression and his eyes as he dredged up the very thing the kitsune was pushing back, trying to ignore, _We were scared_.

            And just as he'd anticipated, Youko's wariness snapped instantly back into place, '_Speak for yourself, Kurama.  I had no reason to-_'

            _When she was hit, _we _were scared,_ Kurama interrupted in a hard voice.  _We smelled her blood, but we told ourselves it wasn't enough to be serious and focused on the rest of the fight.  Why did we do that_,_ Youko?_

            Youko gritted his teeth, '_Hiei was with her, we knew she would be safe_.'

            He could feel a reluctant smile tug at his lips with the determination Youko had infused in his voice, _Do you think I can't read your moods?  You felt it too_.

            '_I told you that I do not want to discuss this, Kurama_,' Youko retracted his arms with a growl.

            _We can't ignore this, Youko_, he shook his head in disagreement.  _Besides, it isn't like you to ignore a problem just because you don't think you're going to like the solution_.  _Or are you still calling this a fixation?_

            Youko's tail twitched back and forth in his only outward show of discomfort with the topic he was trying to let die, '_Why are you pushing this now, Kurama?  We have more important matters to handle than putting our feelings into human words_.'

            Kurama glanced up at the sky through the branches for a moment, letting Youko have his moment to withdraw before he took in a deep breath to search for hints of magic in the air.  He was frowning as he started to walk again, trying to focus on the feel of the grass brushing his ankles rather than the confusing thoughts racing through his head, but it was nearly impossible, _This is silly_.

            '_I agree_.'

            _I meant _you, _baka_, Kurama snorted.  _You're being silly_.

            '_I resent those words_.  _I am not being "silly" about this in the least_.'

            _Then stop growling at me and sulking every time I try to talk about this_, Kurama shot back easily.  _Why do we need her to become ours so badly?  Why Kagome out of every other human?_

            '_Don't you think I would have said something by now if I had an answer to that?_' Youko reluctantly drawled out when Kurama gave him a hard mental poke to show he wasn't willing to let this drop.  '_I saw her, I decided I wanted her, and now I'll have her_.'       

            Breathing out a frustrated sigh, Kurama reached over and trailed his fingertips up the vine sleeping around his wrist as he reiterated, _We've never been afraid like that before_.

            '_Is that what's bothering you?_' Youko arched an eyebrow.  '_After the hell you put us through to find a suitable lover, it's only natural that we would be protective of her.  Any youkai or human who tries to cause her pain is insulting us in the gravest regard, and we will answer it in the way it deserves_.'

            _You're still a master of dancing around the issue when you don't like what I have to say_, Kurama clucked his tongue, coming to a stop as he felt the faint curl of energy tickling at his senses from off to his left.  _You can't tell yourself that's the reason we're feeling this way forever, Youko_.

            '_Watch me_.'

            _Now you're just being obstinate,_ he rolled his eyes.  _She's even in our dreams, Youko_.  We_ can still taste her and feel the heat from her body hours after she's been taken away from us.  I can't _stand_ the thought of not having her where I can hold her and be sure that she's safe and healthy.  So many things, Youko, and we've never felt any of them before, so why now?_

            Youko blew out a sigh, scowling off at nothing, '_Or sleep is being effected_.'

            Kurama felt the tension across his shoulders start to loosen at the admission, it wasn't much, but it was enough to show his stubbornness was easing enough to discuss their odd behavior, _We need her beside us at night_.

            '_We need her against us, Kurama, if you insist on doing this _now_ at least get it right,_' Youko folded his arms behind his head and flopped back, kicking one foot back and forth.  '_We _need_ to feel her reaching for us with everything inside herself, craving our touch and our presence.  I want to hear her beg me to give her my baby, to feel and watch it grow inside her, pouring our blood through her body until her entire soul is ours._'

            Our_ baby,_ Kurama corrected with a frown as he walked towards that faint echo of ki, eyes intent on searching for signs of Hiei's passage, and trying his hardest not to shiver under the thoughts those words were bringing to him.

            '_Same thing,_' Youko flicked a hand impatiently.  '_But we have chosen, and for whatever reason, we feel this need for her, and for all her adoration to belong to us_.  _We won't wait peacefully much longer, Kurama, is that what you want to hear me say?  Your plan to get closer only increases our "fixation" that much faster_.'

            _I know, _Kurama closed his eyes as Youko completed his little tantrum with a flood of images and emotions, the all too few moments they'd had the little miko right where they wanted her.  _But be patient a little, Youko, we'll have her for as long as we want her if we do this right_.

            Youko's lip curled up off one fang, '_I don't intend to let any other creature have her at all, Kurama_.  _That is _my _miko, and her partners stop with us_.  _No one will give her the satisfaction that we will give her, and I will not allow any other male to so much as think they would possibly ever be good enough to touch the mother of our children with lustful intentions_.'

            Kurama nearly stumbled in his surprise at hearing such dark possessiveness coloring his other half's voice, suddenly not quite certain he was as ready to hear the kitsune put the extent of his feelings into human words as he had thought.  Youko was intense by nature, even more by experience, and gaining his complete attention…  Kurama ran a hand through his hair in a calming gesture, soothing their upset instincts back down to a more manageable state before Youko could really get worked up, _She is not the type of woman to search for lovers when she has one that satisfies her, when she has a husband_.  _Calm down before you work yourself into a fit over something that hasn't happened yet, Youko_.

            '_I am not afraid of the state of her loyalty once she realizes what we will be to her_,' Youko turned up his nose.  '_Kagome will love only us when we are her lover, her husband as humans insist on saying_.  _My distrust is to males that will not respect her selection_.'

            _I think she's proven that she's strong enough to fight back,_ Kurama felt a truly affectionate smile curve his lips upward.  _Not to mention, the youkai surrounding her would tear any intruders limb from limb if they overstepped their bounds_.

            '_Once it is my right to do so, they would not dare,_' Youko closed his eyes and started to piece together his favorite fantasies, purring softly as the thoughts calmed him somewhat with the added help of Kurama's touch.  '_I will handle any such attacks personally if they live through my lover's purification. But I've given into your 'silly' need to speak about this as long as I intend to, so look to your right.  That's where the magic in strongest, the base of that tree._'

            If he'd been any less accustomed to Youko's habit of going from one topic to another so abruptly, he might have had a moment of disorientation or at least confusion.  But being who and what he was, Kurama simply turned in the indicated direction and reached out to splay his fingers wide at the heaviest point in the air.  The mingled sense of hot and cold tingled across his palm, making his eyes flash in victory and Youko sit up to re-mingle their ki enough to find the woven threads of magic.

            _Perhaps the effects Hiei is suffering are only temporary,_ Kurama watched intently until the air seemed to bow inwards, letting their fingertips slide into the invisible barrier between the realms as they carefully worked it open until it had widened to fit their passage.

            '_He's most comfortable in Makai_,' Youko pointed out, not so willing to jump on that hopeful thought yet.  '_Once we know where he came out, we might have a better chance of second-guessing the little bastard's intentions_.'

            _I'm not going to let you hit him just to blow off some steam, Youko,_ Kurama rolled his eyes and finally answered that promise now that he had the path clearly defined and could afford to dampen the kitsune's agitation.  _You know Hiei.  If we attack him, he'll just fight back until we're both exhausted just for the fun of it, and then he still won't tell us what we want to know to annoy us.  If we're going to figure out what happened we have to_…_ be_…

            Even Youko was stunned into silence as the portal closed seamlessly behind them, eyes wide and mouth slightly open as they stared across the smoldering, violently disrupted landscape.

            Or… more accurately…

            At the massive youkai dog snarling down at the black shape it had pinned under one of its paws, eyes blazing scarlet and blood-stained white fur fluidly rippling under the spiraling winds as it starkly reflected the lurid hues of the Makai sunset.__


	40. Stranger than Fiction

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: -winces and faceplants- Okay, normally when I say the length of the chapter got away from me it's only a page or two… this one _really_ went above and beyond, so be warned. It's an uber beast. No matter where I wanted to cut it off, it just continued to be all elusive and evil. And if I'd cut it off in the only spot it wouldn't disrupt flow I would have broken my pattern and that just didn't fly right by the glaring muses. But it all needed to be done anyway, so I just finally gave up and let the chapter flow the way it wanted. Don't think I'm going to be able to finish it in under 50 without making it seemed rushed, so what the heck. –shrugs- It'll be over when it's over, I suppose. LOL

Ahhhh, best part. Passin' out the loves. –laughs- I'm in a weird mood, and probably a little drunk, so don't mind me. (Yes, I'm of appropriate legal age for such things) BUT! I'm digressing. To all over you, my addicts and junkies, my uber chat buddies, reviewers, and readers. You guys are wonderful and fabulous and I love you so much! You pick me up every day with everything you say, you have no idea how much. –sparkles- And so many ideas on where I was going with this chapter! Heh heh… But I guess you just have to read to find out if you were right or not, ne? I know you're getting antsy for certain things that you seem to be torturing yourselves speculating over, but just remember that patience is a virtue! -momentarily wonders why she suddenly got a chill- Hn… strange…

By Any Other Name 

Stranger than Fiction

Those all-too familiar eyes filled with tender warmth, lips spreading in that charming smile that shot an automatic jolt of feeling straight to Kagome's soul as the rosary-bound hand lifted to touch her cheek reverently, "I have missed seeing your eyes looking up at me for so very long, my beautiful Kagome."

Kagome's mouth worked soundlessly, her lips trembling while her eyes went soft and liquid under the rush of unshed tears until she managed to whisper hesitantly, "Miroku… Am- am I-? Am I dreaming?"

Miroku slowly shook his head, bringing his other hand up to cup her face and tilt it upwards to press a soft, lingering kiss on her parted lips before he answered just as quietly, "No."

"B-but _how?!_" her hands came up to curl over his wrists, trembling when she felt the very real warmth of his skin against hers, and the smooth bite of the beads digging into her palm.

"A great many things can change in five hundred years," his voice filled with amused affection, eyes almost closing when he smiled wider at her stunned expression. Unable to resist teasing her a little, he released her face to tap one finger on the tip of her nose, "_You_ should know more than anyone that nothing is impossible."

Kagome let out a choked sob, shoving his hands open wide and practically throwing herself at his chest with her arms snaking around his neck to hold him as close as physically possible, "I'm so sorry!"

Miroku's arms came around her, lifting her up effortlessly to sit her in his lap and cuddle her close as he rocked her back and forth. Letting her bury her face against his throat, he rested his chin on her head and slowly sifted his fingers through her hair until he felt her start to calm, "Shh… Don't cry, Kagome. You know we could never stand to see you crying."

"But I hurt you," Kagome clenched her jaw, shaking her head to and hissing at her soul to calm down when it warmed and tried to reach out to pull him even closer. "I hurt myself… I'm so stupid. I thought I could stop it from taking me back, and-!"

"None of us knew what would happen," he reassured her gently. "And we did know that there was a chance the well would take you back when Inuyasha wished, even if we all had our hopes… But never think that there was blame for you in our thoughts."

Kagome had to remind herself to breathe, something inside her terrified that this was just an illusion, a dream she was going to wake up from, "I didn't want to leave."

"I know, my little wife, I know," Miroku pressed a kiss to her forehead, sighing deeply as he looked up at the stars. "I didn't intend to cause you this pain by visiting you this way."

"It's nothing," she hurried to assure him, shaking her head as she finally convinced her body to lean back and let her look up at his face more easily. "I'd rather see you, no matter what happens because of it. But how are you-? What did-? _How_ are you here now?" she finally settled on that being the most pressing question, eyes wide and searching on his face.

Miroku's spine straightened, his expression changing to that aloof pride he could affect so very well, "When one is offered a position as a higher god, Kagome, there are a great number of things that become possible. Manifestation just happens to be one of those things."

"A higher-?" was as far as Kagome got before she burst out laughing, the shadows fleeing from her eyes under the wave of delight that swept through her. She unwound her arms from the monk's neck, holding her aching sides as the tears continued to slide down her cheeks until she managed to get herself under control enough to ask for clarification, "A god? You're a _god?_"

"Sango has also been given such an honorable distinction," his chest expanded in almost boyish preening as he drew her closer again, sliding his hands into her hair when his voice lowered to the timbre she often head heard intimately. "What a family we have created, Kagome."

The smile she graced him with was nearly blinding, "You're still very cute when you're preening, Miroku."

"I have every reason to be proud of our accomplishments as you well know," he scolded lightly, urging away the last of the sorrow that had clung to her so strongly. "And did I not say that becoming my wife would be a truly spiritual experience? A holy, transcendent meeting of our souls? Having the children of a god takes a very special woman, after all."

The laughter came easier this time as Kagome swatted him upside the head teasingly, "I didn't realize they had a place for a pervert like you."

"The afterlife knows when they have found a perfect candidate for ascension," Miroku held up his hand in a classic prayer-pose, closing his eyes for a brief moment before cracking one open to watch her face.

"It would serve you right if you became the patron god of childbirth," Kagome drawled out, cocking her head to one side as she watched the mischievous sparkle light in his gaze.

"Nothing so messy and disturbing," he shook his head, smiling as he recalled his less-than-calm reaction to her first labor. "How do you think I was able to make you, a perfect reader of souls, believe you were feeling Shinju, my lovely wife? I have become the God of Deception."

Kagome was half afraid the laughter _that_ little gem of information started would wake the entire house, loudly echoing off the trees in the stillness of the night as she nearly doubled over at the way her abdominal muscles tried to spasm in protest to the violent action.

"It is not polite to laugh at your husband whom you love and respect," Miroku was smiling at her as she wound down, making his tone into that familiar whine he usually only used when reiterating how "holy" he was. Cupping her face in one hand, he wiped away the tear tracks with his thumb and murmured, "Sango was given Vengeance."

"Vengeance and Deception?" Kagome tried to get her smile under control, but it continued to defy her best efforts.

"We are a highly feared pair," he dipped his head in acknowledgement.

That got a quieter snicker out of her as she imagined just what kind of hell the two of them could cause when they were actually working together, eyes alight with new happiness, "I can well imagine."

"I have even recently acquired a group of detectives for my own personal use," Miroku's smile had her arching an eyebrow, effortlessly recalling the emotions generally associated with _that_ particular look.

"Do I really want to know how you managed to steal a group of _people?_" Kagome couldn't quite keep the incredulous note from her voice, helplessly impressed that he could accomplish such a feat. But at the same time, she couldn't help but think to herself that if anyone were to do such a thing, she wasn't surprised that it was Miroku, "And what do you mean your 'personal use-?' Actually, forget it. I don't think I need to know."

Miroku chuckled at her own rush to stop him from expounding on his acquisition, tightening his hold on her to lift her up and make it easier for him to nuzzle the side of her neck, "Sango and I have taken great pains to be certain that our family is safe from prying eyes and suspicious gods. It simply would not do to allow our descendants to become entertainment for some foolish creatures who do not respect the sacrifices we have made."

"Always prepared," her eyes closed again, trusting her control enough now to sweep out her aura and wrap around him inside and out the way she always had. The sheer force of his soul now, however, nearly floored her, washing through her system with all the subtlety of a tsunami until he made a soft tsking sound and stopped the flow of power.

"As much as it warms my heart to feel you in my soul this way, my lovely wife, you must be more careful," he chided her gently, curling his finger under her chin to turn her glowing eyes up on him. "I am no longer a man, and I do not care to risk purifying you out of existence by giving you such an imbalance of holy power."

"Sesshoumaru's close, he can give me back the youki I need if I get sick," Kagome's lips curved upwards as she pressed her hand over his heart, her soul struggling to learn the new sensation and manipulate it back into a smooth vibration. Her eyes finally flashed, shoulders slumping as the internal battle eased and left her slightly numb, "I missed you, Miroku."

"I know," Miroku moved his hand to cup her cheek, smiling again when she curled her hands around his to hold it against her skin.

She pinched him, "That's your cue to say you missed me too."

"You didn't say it back to me the first time I said it," he protested, eyes sparkling to show he was playing with her.

"Wives automatically have immunity from giving the same constant reassurance," Kagome turned her nose up loftily. "It's an understood fact given the greater tendency to display emotions and-"

Miroku cut her off with a delighted chuckle, pressing his fingers over her lips to stop her from going off on a tangent he had more or less taught her to perfect, "I see you still indulge in the family method of dodging arguments you know you're going to lose."

Just as she had so often in the past nights together, Kagome made her eyes wide and innocent, splaying her fingers over her heart in a mimicry of his own behavior, "Dodging? I would never think to do such a thing, Miroku! Especially not to my handsome, clever husband."

"Hm," he arched an eyebrow, cracking through her attempt to hold that expression and laughing again when she started to giggle. "You still forget that I taught you everything you know of such performances."

"But you still let me win sometimes," the familiarity of the scene washed peace through her badly upset nerves, the energy she'd absorbed from him smoothing over the last remnants of distortion from Hiei's tangled emotions to balance her out. Her eyes closed, a shiver running down her spine as he tucked her against him carefully, "How do you do that to me still?"

Miroku rubbed his cheek against the side of her head, trailing his hand up and down her back as he waited patiently for her soul to finish settling, "Did you think I would forget how to calm you just because I died five hundred years before your birth?" He reached down to grip her hand, lifting it to press her palm below his throat in reminder, "I was the only human who knew you intimately, the only human who was able to share your soul with your youkai carriers, Kagome. Such memories are not so easily banished by simple mortality."

She turned her face, pressing her forehead against the side of his neck as her hand came up to loosely grasp his shoulder, "I wish you had been wrong, you know. When you told me how it would feel after I'd been with you, and had you taken away."

His hand dropped down to give her backside a squeeze, deeper emotions turning his eyes nearly black as his smile took on a familiar edge, "Ah, my sweet wife, that is truly a pain I wish I could spare you." He let out a regretful sigh and winked at her, "But it would be unfair to you if I forced you to remain tied to the past so intimately when it is time for you to be moving forward."

Kagome's eyes widened, slowly sitting up to stare at him in confusion at the meaning behind those words, "Time for me to-? What are you talking about?"

Miroku made a motion with his hand, leaning back as though there was something more substantial than air to brace his weight as he picked her up and rearranged her to sit straddling his lap comfortably. For a long moment he simply stared at her, holding her in the loose circle of his arms as his eyes danced with so many thoughts and feelings that not even she could filter them all, "I have not been fair to you as I should have been, Kagome. And in this failing was the only regret I carried with me into the afterlife."

Kagome's head tilted in a subconscious show of her uncertainty, reaching out to stroke her fingers along his jaw before she cupped his face in an effort to comfort the very old pain in his gaze that he attempted to hide, "You were always fair to me, Miroku. There was nothing for you to regret-"

His hand covered her own again, turning to press a kiss to her palm before he whispered against the sensitive skin, "I did not deserve you."

"Oh hell, Miroku, don't start in with that," she drew a shuddering breath at the sudden flash of déjà vu, the overlapping image of an awestruck Miroku cradling his first son close and saying those very words to her in such a breathless voice. "Never think that. You deserved everything you had and more."

Miroku sighed deeply, shaking his head as he squeezed her hand and brought it down over the image still ingrained in his soul, the mark of the carriers of the Shikon-no-Tama, "I am a selfish man, Kagome. But I did not realize how very much until I watched you fade before my eyes that day."

Something in his voice kept her silent this time, her eyes searching his face as she waited for what she could see him trying to put into words, _Miroku… Miroku almost _never_ has troubles finding words_. _This is serious_.

"Even after I watched Inuyasha make the same mistake over and over, I fell into the same trap. And by the time I realized it, it was too late," regret turned those eyes a deep shade of indigo as he traced his fingers up her arm to lovingly follow her neck up to her jaw. "But even so, you never once looked at me with anger or hate, any more than you did to him. Your arms were always open; you became my wife when your heart had belonged to another just because I needed you. And you bore me two beautiful, perfect sons knowing you could be taken away from us in the end."

Kagome felt the tears sting her eyes, biting down on her tongue in an effort to keep them away, the admiration in his touch and voice almost too much for her soul to bear after being without it for so long.

His hand slid into her hair, drawing her closer until he could touch his forehead to hers, head bowed and eyes almost complete shut as he whispered softly, "You gave me everything you had, and I was foolish enough to let you think I had not given you the same."

Kagome went still, eyes opening in shock, _What?_

"I had not understood," his hand tightened when he sensed the change in her aura, stopping her from pulling back to stare at him before he had said the words that he had held inside him through the centuries. "For all that I prided myself in my intelligence, in the family I had created, I did not realize that you needed to hear that I loved you just as deeply as I loved Sango."

Now he let her lean away, his smile slightly pained as he reached up to brush away the tears silently escaping her glittering eyes, "Miroku-"

"Loving Sango did not mean that there was no room for you in my heart, or that you were second best to my eyes, my precious Kagome," Miroku cupped her face in his hands, wanting to be certain she was seeing the truth in his face and feeling it in his aura. "I watched Inuyasha make that mistake with you over and over with Kikyou when he could have told you at any time that his love wasn't any less intense simply because he still held feelings for another. I remember thinking how foolish he was, letting you think he was incapable of holding more than one person dear to his heart when you had shown him differently… but my mistake was so much deeper than his."

"I knew you and Sango loved me," Kagome tried to shake her head, instinctively needing to banish the sorrow filling his expression, but he refused to release her.

Miroku brushed his lips over her forehead before he leaned back, trusting himself to continue, "Sango loved you as deeply as she was capable, and she told you. But I never told you I was just as _in_ love with you as I was with her."

Kagome wasn't aware of the way she had started to shake, mouth opening and closing again as she struggled for something to say to that admission.

"You were nearly as different as night and day," he sighed dreamily, dipping his head to kiss the tip of her nose next. "But I loved all of it. My wives made me feel whole, complete in a way I had never thought possible until I had you. You and Sango made me so happy, Kagome, and I never told you how truly special you were when I had the chance. That was my regret."

"Why-?" Kagome finally managed to whisper out, squeezing her eyes closed as he voice broke under the rush of emotion nearly closing her throat. The nearly heart-breaking flood of pain and pleasure overflowing her soul as she reached out, sliding her arms around his back and clinging to him as she again buried her face against his chest, "Why are you saying this?"

Miroku wrapped his arms around her shaking body, murmuring nonsense to her until he felt the sharp edge of pain in her aura easing, "Because it's time someone told you they loved you without you having to question their obligations to another; without thinking that you will never be the first. It is not fair to you to think you are destined to share the men you choose to love forever."

"I liked sharing with Sango," Kagome admitted in a quiet voice.

He couldn't help but give her a warm, openly loving smile, squeezing her tighter at the candid admission, "Our family is special that way. But the peace we had does not often come when a new wife is taken, and it is even more rare that love is mutual between all three. However, in this time… in your time, my lovely wife, things are done differently. And it is well past time for you to be selfish with your affections."

Kagome was looking at him suspiciously as she got herself back under control with his help and sat up, brushing at the tears making a few more stubborn paths down her cheeks when she blinked, "Miroku… you know I don't trust that tone of voice _or_ that smile coming from you."

Miroku instantly pasted on his most innocent expression, even going so far as to lift his hand in his blessing pose despite still having her on his lap and his other lightly rubbing her backside, "What smile?"

One eyebrow kicked up.

"You have been spending entirely too much time with Sesshoumaru," he clucked his tongue, but the lofty expression melted rapidly into that same adoration that never failed to send warmth straight to her toes. "But as much as I never thought I'd say it, he's good for you. Stable, unselfish in his control… Too powerful for his own good."

"There _is_ a good reason he's my master carrier," Kagome's smile was faintly nostalgic as she lifted a finger to tap the symbol below his throat again. "He said it best to me a few weeks back. No matter where I go, I have to return to him, like the sunset to the west. He's… comforting to my soul, and no one has more control over their own power than Sesshoumaru. But you aren't getting away with a topic change that easily, _Houshi-sama_, so don't even try it."

Miroku pouted, but the slight tightening of his hands clearly showed he was more proud than upset that she stayed on track, "You and Sango never did fall for my skills."

"We know you too well," she winked at him.

"Indeed," he wound his arms back around her waist and pulled her up until her chest was pressed snugly against his. "Nothing is more satisfying to a man than to have two beautiful, crafty, powerful women who love him and bear him the most perfect of children."

"Stop sweet-talking me and tell me what you meant by saying I'm supposed to be selfish," Kagome chuckled and gave him a swat, but let herself be cuddled up against his chest again without a single protest.

Miroku was quiet a moment, sliding his fingers through her hair in long, even strokes as he seemed to collect his thoughts before turning serious and asking her quietly, "Do you trust me, Kagome?"

"That's a silly question, Miroku, you know I do," Kagome peeked one eye open to look up, smiling warmly when she saw his gaze was back up on the stars again. "I've always trusted you."

"And you trust that I would never hurt you?"

Kagome's brows furrowed at the note of real concern in his voice, sliding her arms around him to tighten the embrace, "I've never doubted that."

"And that I would never guide anyone to you who would hurt you?" Miroku's voice lowered, one hand moving up to press between her shoulder blades and feel the way the skin heated at the familiar touch.

_Guide_…_ anyone? _Kagome's mouth opened and closed just as quickly as her mind raced with the implications that seemed to hover just below his words.

"No one knows you better than I do, my lovely wife," he seemed to see into her thoughts, especially with the smile she could hear in his whisper-soft murmur. "No one else could fully comprehend what you need to heal your heart."

Kagome leaned back, straightening her spine as she met his gaze dead on.

Miroku gave her another innocent smile.

"Kurama."

Miroku made a sound disturbingly close to a snicker before he switched into his priest tones and offered, "The kitsune known as Youko Kurama may have had a moment of… divine intervention to guide his eyes in the direction his soul needed to look."

Kagome covered her eyes with one hand, realization sending a wave of mortification through her, "Oh my gods… You're matchmaking!" _No wonder I've felt so comfortable with him from the start, Miroku practically hand picked him!_

"I like him," Miroku nodded sagely, linking his fingers together behind the small of her back to give her more support when she slumped and groaned. "Especially the way he thinks."

"I knew he was a pervert," she muttered, but she could feel the laughter dying to bubble up out of her as the idea slowly sunk in. Her husband of the past picking out a youkai he had deemed worthy of being with her in the future… "I don't believe this."

"He is quite taken with you," Miroku prodded her with a sly gleam in his eyes. "Very possessive from what I've seen, just the way you like them."

Kagome's lips were definitely twitching as she swatted at him again, "Stop that!"

"What?" his expression was right back to innocence.

"Miroku, you just told me about your feelings, how much you loved me," Kagome raked a hand through her hair as she worried her lower lip in her teeth and tried to explain the rollercoaster of exhausting emotions re-tangling her aura, but at least they were all her own this time. "Now you turn around and tell me you picked out a perverted kitsune _thief _and pushed him in my direction because you like how he thinks?"

His smile was full of tender amusement as he reached up to take her hand out of her hair and smooth it back down, "I have had five hundred years to come to terms with thoughts of my own jealousy at another man being able to live out their entire life with you beside them. I do love you dearly, and because of that, I want only for you to be happy, Kagome. But I want you to have someone who can share themselves with you completely, and I was unwilling to risk leaving the search to chance. And so I decided to use my position for a worthy cause, since your Fate has been altered to keep you separate from us."

Kagome's eyes softened in understanding, "I can't die the way I should have." _I can't follow anymore_…

Miroku dipped his head in agreement, "I _am_ dead, even if I have ascended, it does not change that truth. So it is time for you to move on and add another to your limitless affections. But as your first husband, and the head of our family, I intend to be certain the one you move on _to_ has met my personal approval."

"Why Kurama?" Kagome couldn't help but ask, well aware that her eyes were likely showing off the depth of her confusion at that particularly choice.

Miroku arched an eyebrow in question, "You don't like him?"

"I didn't say that," her cheeks darkened with a deep blush, ducking her head shyly as her voice lowered to a murmur.

He took advantage of her averted eyes to smirk proudly over his selection, "He passed over the jewel's seduction once already, Kagome, something only Sesshoumaru has done before him. Sango and I want you to find someone that you are certain is with you for you. Not the jewel, and not for the memory of a lost love. He's familiar with our way of life, strong, pretty… and the choice to accept him or reject him is yours alone."

Kagome smiled to herself at the stern note that entered his voice, rolling her eyes even as she nodded and glanced up at him, "Aren't you worried that the only reason I like Kurama is that he reminds me of you?"

Miroku snorted, cupping her chin in his hand, "There are similarities between he and I, but there are even more differences. I have no fears that you are mistaking him for anyone other than himself when you are enjoying his company. His personality is too strong to allow any less."

"Point taken," she sighed and nodded, unable to refute that.

"And like I said… I like him," Miroku shrugged. "My instincts tell me that if the two of you do choose to be together, you will be good for each other. Not to mention, he wants to start a family."

Kagome stared at him incredulously and burst out laughing, "You brat! You just want to have more children from me!"

Miroku pressed his hand over his heart with a perfectly feigned look of surprise, "Children from you? My dear wife, they would be the children of another man, how could I possibly claim them as my own?"

She folded her arms over her chest, "Do you really think that's convincing?"

"Fair enough," he shrugged and made a dismissive gesture with one hand. "I'm certain you would have given me at least a dozen more children under natural circumstances. Not to mention you are very beautiful when you are pregnant, and you are an excellent mother. I wish to see you with children around you again."

"I swear you have a fetish," she snorted when his hand gently pressed to her stomach.

"I prefer the term fantasy," he pointed out with a wink.

Kagome chuckled, shaking her head at his semantics as she pulled her arms back to wrap around her stomach in a reflexive gesture at their topic. But a frown started to crease her brow as a niggling worry tried to make its way into her thoughts, looking up at Miroku to demand, "Did you influence him at all?"

"I made certain you were in the right place at the right time, sent Shippou that direction to turn Kurama's head, and made certain his eyes found you, but the rest was his own reaction," Miroku promised her with a smile, arching an eyebrow as he drawled out his observation. "You _do_ like him, don't you?"

"Shippou hates him," Kagome's cheeks darkened yet again, trying to wave off her feelings under that protest and redirect his attention. "And I'm pretty sure Sesshoumaru would love to tear him in half and parade around with his head on a stick."

"Kouga?" he arched an eyebrow.

Kagome winced and blew out a regretful sigh, "Strike three."

Miroku ducked down to see her eyes, "You know what that means, don't you?"

"I'm sure it'll happen," the renewed laughter made her eyes sparkle as she fidgeted under his knowing look and finally swore under her breath. "All right… I'll admit I like him, Miroku! I like being around him. He makes me feel alive again, and after the well-"

"I understand," he murmured softly when her voice broke, steering away from that topic before her sadness could ruin the happiness he'd worked so hard to put back in her eyes tonight. "That's what you deserve, Kagome. But as much as I wish I could ignore what my life has become, I do not have forever to sit with you in my arms."

Kagome's hand snapped out, tangling in his kimono desperately when she translated the abrupt shift and rushed out, "Don't!" _No, not when you just got here! Not when it_'_s been so long!_

Miroku sighed, against pressing his forehead to hers as he allowed a new wave of his own calming energy to sweep into her, draining the reflexive panic from her eyes and allowing her muscles to relax. As much as he didn't necessarily want to use such a tactic, his conscience would not allow any other action, "Happiness will come to you again, even if I dislike the idea of it coming to you from another. Yet, I wish to hear something before I run out of time… _I_ may approve, and you say you like him, but is he truly healing your heart, my lovely Kagome? Is he good enough to win your love?"

Kagome's spine stiffened, opening her mouth to deny it when her eyes flashed and widened, lifting her hand in reflex, _I… No. No, I couldn't be_. "I-I barely know him," she stammered out quietly.

Miroku's smirk turned even more knowing, "Trying to lie to the god of deception is rather like trying to steal from a master thief, Kagome."

"My husband, the father of my children, is asking if the kitsune he picked out to romance me is having any success in making me love him," she stuck her tongue out at him over the pride that again had snuck into his voice. "I said it before, and I'll reiterate: this whole situation is weird."

"You gave birth to a bloodline that traces back centuries and extends not only throughout Japan, but at least three other continents," he retorted, grinning wider when she shot him a sour look. "Not to mention your time-hopping adolescence or your own less than human composition," he lightly tapped the center of the magical scars with his middle finger. "Our family's definition of normalcy certainly pushes the boundaries of most 'human' creative fantasy."

"Suddenly I understand why Sesshoumaru hates it when I make sense," Kagome grumbled. "You're worse than he is with the 'answer for everything,' you know. Yours are just more smartass in that subtle, so-called holy way you put on."

"I'm charming that way," he didn't miss a beat.

"Why did I say yes to you again?" she couldn't help but chuckle as she smacked him on the shoulder for his amusement.

"Because I am handsome and wonderful, and you love me from the bottom of your shining little soul," Miroku lectured with his most pious expression, ducking the next swat she aimed at his head with practiced ease. "You also could sense that I was an amazing lover."

"No wonder you like Kurama, you two really do think so much alike it should be a crime," Kagome rolled her eyes with a rather unladylike snort.

Miroku pressed his hand over his heart again and offered her a slight bow as best he could in their positions, "For all that the great Youko Kurama holds skill in the arts of seduction he is –after all- only youkai, while _I_ on the other hand, am a great and powerful god."

"You're a great and powerful something all right."

"You wound me, my lovely wife!" his voice took on an over-exaggerated whine. "To say such things of your most loving and humble husband-"

"It's hard to take that seriously when your hand is still squeezing my ass, you know," she cut him off with a pointed look down to the appendage in question, giggling when he blinked in surprise as though completely unaware of the caress he'd been indulging in. "You really are a shameless pervert."

Miroku chuckled and shrugged, giving her a boyish smile, "You and Sango love me this way."

"Gods help us," she nearly choked on her amusement, easily seeing where Shinju had inherited most of his expressions.

"I am doing my best," he offered a cheeky salute, reminding her of his afterlife distinction, but just as quickly sighed wistfully and turned his gaze skyward. "I really can't stay much longer without drawing attention that I'd rather not have until everything is done. But soon…"

"Soon?" Kagome repeated curiously, biting her lip to stop herself from wasting these precious moments on unnecessary discussions.

Miroku shook his head, drawing her back against his chest so tightly that she had no doubt that he was thinking the same thing, "The time will come when I won't have to be afraid of bringing you to visit us, and we are impatient for it. Sango misses you as much as I do, but she thought you needed to hear from me this time. I needed to say these things to you so you knew that we do not find you to be dishonoring our memories by moving forward with this kitsune."

"You wanted to gloat that I fell for the one you wanted me to like," she wrapped her arms around him and inhaled deeply, drawing in as much as he allowed to warm her soul all the way to the core.

"You do know me so well," his chin rested against her temple, content to pretend nothing had changed just as long as he possibly could as well. "I wanted to hear you tell me that I have excellent taste."

"I'm sure Kurama would agree with that if he knew we were having this discussion," she smiled softly at feeling his ribs expand with arrogance and lifting to kiss him below the corner of his jaw. "But… he really is sweet. In that neurotic kitsune way."

"See? I know your type to perfection," he chuckled, lightly tugging her arm until he had her right hand in her lap, turning her palm up as the deep violet curls of magic tracked down his forearm to pool between them. "If there is anyone who could handle a kitsune of his caliber falling madly in love with them without going insane, it's you. He'll protect you, Kagome, and he will be a formidable opponent."

Kagome turned serious, searching his gaze with a sound of realization, "You know about the voice."

Miroku nodded, "I know everything that happens to you. I made certain of that when the realms were first separated, and we take the most serious of care to see to it that we are the only ones who are able to do so. No, it's not coming from Nasamura Reiko… So far, he is harmless even with the soul inside his body." _We can only pray it remains so_.

Kagome shivered, not at all surprised he had known what she was going to ask, and distracting herself by staring down at the energy gathering into a ball between their hands, "I thought I could look past faces, but that one-?"

_Ah, but something inside you knows why you are still unsettled by him. Had Onigumo allowed himself to die rather than become Naraku, you wouldn't have been brought to the past,_ Miroku closed his eyes, keeping his knowledge to himself rather than see what he was certain would be horror on her face to know what he knew. _You would have fallen in love and been his reward for penance, the reincarnation of the woman he wanted so badly_. _A reward he forfeited by opening his soul to such evil_… Damn_ those fools for ignoring our orders_.

It was her free hand coming to touch his face that snapped him out of his reverie, bringing his questioning gaze back down to her, "Miroku? Are you all right?"

He sighed deeply again and nodded, lowering the gathered energy to clasp her hand, focusing until he felt it solidifying into the familiar shape of his own sealing rosary, "There are ill winds blowing, my lovely wife, and it makes my soul ache to know that I cannot stand at your side the way I want to when you face the source. However… I can leave this of myself."

Kagome looked down when he pulled his hand away, brows lifting in amazement at the beads and even more the moment they pulsed and send a flood of power tingling up her arm, "I don't understand."

"Fate restricts what I can tell you, but not what I can arm you with in my efforts to keep you safe," Miroku's expression was somber as he loosely embraced her again. "Teach my sons the curse that became a blessing, my Kagome. Show them how to use our power, and it will allow us to be with you in spirit if you ever need our presence."

Her fingers curled over the rosary, knuckles turning white as she set her jaw and nodded in agreement, "Then it _is_ true."

"I would never deny them the right to know their mother, and they asked to be reborn for you," his smile was fond at the memory. "Not that I was able to give them _all_ their old memories, but in here-" he tapped a finger to her heart, "they know who they are, and who you are. They just wanted to be born early so they would be old enough to look after you and impress you."

Kagome lifted the rosary over her heart, not entirely sure what to say, _They- they're my sons?_ _Reincarnated_.

"Sango is waiting to attack me and demand information about your condition," Miroku offered softly, the mellow tone easily portraying the words he didn't want to say as he reached out and rested his fingertips on his old shakujou. "And Sesshoumaru will grow suspicious if you do not return to your room soon. As much as I would enjoy reminiscing, the time required to do so is not something I currently possess."

She watched the deep glow permeate the ancient weapon, closing her eyes as her soul basked in the power flowing from him into it with the strength of his blessing, "Tell her how much I miss her, and that I love her."

Satisfied with his work when the staff hummed audibly at its reinforcement, the energy faded into it and settled as Miroku turned his full attention back to Kagome. Winding his arms around her, he pulled her forward and dipped his head to reverently cover her lips with his own and draw her into a gentle kiss to savor the sensations he had missed so very much.

Kagome could feel another rush of tears sneak out from under her closed eyelids at the poignant emotions welling up inside her, reluctant to let him go even as she felt his aura pulling away from her, expanding and reaching for the sky.

Miroku slowly rose to his feet, keeping a firm hold on Kagome to be certain she didn't slip out of his arms as he kissed a gentle path to her ear and whispered, "Give him a chance to make you happy, my lovely wife. If he will love you, let him take your heart. And if he hurts you, I will take his."

"You did always know just what to say to me," Kagome smiled up at him as he slid her down his body to stand her back on her feet, unable to resist kissing her one more time before he was pressing the shakujou into her hands. Taking in a shaky breath, she leaned into the gloved hand, kissing the center when the Kazaana had once cursed that smooth skin, "And if you and Sango approve of him…" _I'll stop thinking I have to push him away when I want to be closer to him_.

"Of course, you don't necessarily have to _tell_ him that," Miroku winked at her as though sharing a great secret, drawing a new chuckle out of her even as she felt her heart aching. "Don't be afraid to let our family keep him in line. We like scaring men away from you."

"Kitsune don't exactly 'scare,'" she reminded him.

"Then let us annoy him to death," he amended with a particularly wicked grin. "I've waited a long time to have this kind of opportunity."

Kagome blinked at him in disbelief before giving an exaggerated shudder, "Your poor daughters."

Miroku gestured casually with one hand, shadows curling up around him as his kimono slowly changed back into the robes he had worn in the past, reaching out to press his forefinger against the tip of the shakujou and trace it down to eye-level, "Their 'poor husbands' would be more accurate, Kagome. Our daughters had three brothers, myself, Shippou, Inuyasha, Kohaku, Sesshoumaru, _and _Sango just waiting for the day someone took interest."

Kagome shook her head at the mental image, feeling a very real curl of sympathy for the poor boy brave enough to ask for marriage under those watchful eyes, "Of course you make Sango sound more dangerous than Sesshoumaru."

Miroku snorted, "You are well aware that she could be when our children were involved. I would have gone against the taiyoukai before I went against her in those circumstances, and she is my loving wife."

She couldn't help but chuckle softly, reaching up to press her own finger directly opposite his, "Some things never change."

He leaned forward to steal one last kiss, the shadows already rising to wind around him again, opening the path to return him to Reikai. His fingers traced along her jaw, reluctant to break contact as his eyes glowed into hers, letting his body undergo the subtle transformation to show her the otherworldly perfection he'd gained in death to see the appreciation in her eyes before letting the shadows take him away, "And some things do, my lovely wife."

::………:: 

Hiei wasn't entirely sure why he had felt so strongly compelled to go exploring in Makai as soon as he'd taken the edge off the gnawing hunger that had struck him so abruptly in the woods. Just like he wasn't sure what had compelled him to test his luck by tearing open the barrier into the same spot they reached inside the Western Lands the last time the guardians had prevented them from going any further into the eerie forests hiding those lands from curious eyes.

And yet…

The moment his feet had touched the ground a pulse had run through his soul, bringing him to his knees as the aura of the woods seemed to reach into him, wrap around him and hold him frozen in place. It hadn't been a painful sensation exactly, but something intense, and definitely beyond confusing. He could feel his strength alternately wane and rise inside his body with every beat of the strange ki moving through his soul. After several agonizingly long minutes, the feeling had begun to gather together at the base of his throat, burning outward from that single spot until his blood felt like it was on fire.

But just as quickly as the sensation had overtaken him, something seemed to snap and drag that heat back like a spiral until it vanished completely, leaving him drained and panting on the ground. Shocked, he had lifted one shaking hand to touch the spot that had seemed to focus all that energy, eyes widening in alarm when he felt the disruption in the feel of his skin. Precise lines, an archaic circle that sent whispers of subdued power and dark promises purring through his mind with every tiny symbol his fingers found etched around it.

It had been that moment, kneeling on the ground as his mind tried to process the mark that the pulse had come again. More defined in its presence and clearly filling his soul with a sense of belonging, of a connection with the auras of everything around him that went well beyond any energy he'd ever managed to tap into. Whatever the mark was and whatever put it there had wanted him to come _here_, to bond with the soul of the land, and make the signature vibration of his aura familiar to it.

The last thing Hiei had been expecting as he'd sat there, letting that bizarre sense of calm wash through him, was to suddenly find himself being flung backwards through the trees with bone-jarring force.

Disoriented, running on instincts alone, he'd dodged the next attack, blurring upwards to stare down in confused surprise at the massive white dog snarling up at him with murder in its scarlet eyes. His eyes narrowed and hand poised over the hilt of his katana, he'd regarded the youkai with a low growl of recognition as they sized each other up, _Sesshoumaru_.

The pulse had come again with his rush of adrenaline, pouring strength through him in a euphoric rush that very nearly brought a smile to his face when the next attack came and brought with it the excuse to test out the strange feeling. Even he had been surprised at his speed, then more at bright violet flame that curled around the blade of his katana as it struck flesh and tore a neat, superficial wound across that wide chest.

It had been strangely hypnotic, watching the blood arc high as he followed through, his body twisting to instinctively dodge the snap of teeth and return a counter-strike the youkai dodged with an agility belying his size. Holding himself there, their eyes locked and watchful for the perfect moment to spring when something about the other creature had brought a frown to his face. Something off…

But then the ki around them had all begun to pull towards the snarling dog, and he'd barely tensed in preparation when he found himself forced to either fall back or discover just what it felt like to be impaled on one of those gleaming fangs. His feet had just touched the branch he'd chosen to perch on when the youkai let out a deafening roar, slamming both front paws down hard enough to split the ground beneath its feet as the crescent gracing his forehead gave a blinding flash.

Hiei had been ill-prepared for the attack that followed, the torrents of wind that streaked across the ground separating them with all the speed of a striking cobra, tearing up the ground and trees in chunks as the energy unleashed burned them away to nothing. The first razor-sharp blades of wind had shattered the tree around him, forcing him to leap upwards or meet the same fate, only to play right into the hands –or paws, more accurately- of his opponent.

Still, with that foot slamming him towards the ground, he'd managed to work his sword back up underneath it, feeling the blade completely pierce flesh and glance off bone just as his back met the ground. The air was punched from his lungs as the dog kept the weight on that foot constant despite the injury, pinning Hiei down as his muzzle lowered, lips pulling back with the increasing volume of that deadly growl.

The jaws had started to open, probably readying the poison he'd shown them in the training chambers when a twist on his part managed to get his shoulders out from under those claws. And the instant he had, the growl came to an abrupt stop, the light dimming from those cold eyes as the youkai jerked his head up and cocked it to one side as though that single motion had just transformed the hybrid into a complete oddity.

_Well, shit… You little fucking bastard_,_ why didn't you just say you were family?_

Hiei had frozen, eyes rounding as he stared up at the obviously disgruntled youkai looming over him, mind going completely blank to hear the foreign voice speaking so easily to him in such a way, _That… This is _not_ him_.

Bringing him to where they were now… the odd almost-standoff as Hiei continued to stare up at the youkai still holding him down, although granted he didn't seem determined to crush him into the ground any longer. His eyes darted over the youkai's face, taking in the details he had passed over in the far more pressing issues of attack and defense. Whoever this youkai was, he was smaller, but definitely more solidly built than the taiyoukai. And while the fur was exactly the same, there was only one set of jagged stripes angling up its face, and even more damning…

The telltale crescent was backwards.

_Who the hell are you?_ Hiei's brows snapped together trying to hide the sudden rise of smug excitement building in his chest. _This is it! This is how they do it! Does Sesshoumaru have a son posing in his place?_

"_HIEI!_"

Both of them started at the shout echoing across the landscape, Hiei twisting awkwardly to look for the kitsune he knew owned that voice while the youkai's face schooled back into a threatening growl to turn on the new intruder. He was expecting the snap of the whip, smirking slightly when the dog shot backwards to avoid it with his head low to the ground and his injured foot curled in protectively.

"Hiei, are you all right?" Kurama's voice was concerned, slanting him a look as he took up a defensive stance beside the sprawled hybrid before turning his full attention back to the growling youkai. "Dammit, Sesshoumaru, what is the meaning of this!? We had your word!"

"It's not him," Hiei responded blandly before the fire that rekindled in the dog's eyes could blossom into an angry attack. Unsure of how he read that emotion, Hiei tried to brush it aside as he gingerly rose to his feet, checking to be certain nothing was broken before flicking a casual _chiburi _and sheathing his sword. _Nice timing, Fox, he was about to tell me who he was_.

'_You ungrateful shit, see if I ever put myself in danger for _you_ again!_' Youko rounded on him with a snarl of his own before spitting out a few more crude insults and ignoring him in favor of the youkai watching them with open annoyance. '_What the hell-?_'

_You're supposed to announce yourself before you send out a wave like that, idiot,_ Hiei blinked in surprise at the censure in youkai's voice and turned his full attention back to him as he continued. _What were you trying to do? Get eaten? I thought you were issuing a challenge for Kagome_. _And what the _fuck _did you bring a kitsune avatar for? Who do you-? _

The youkai trailed off, the dawning comprehension lighting his eyes almost comical as he suddenly sat back and let out a bark of laughter that had them both clapping their hand protectively over their ears.

_Hiei! What did you say to him?_ Kurama demanded in a hiss, wincing as his skull throbbed in time with the vibrations of the ground under their feet.

_Don't look at me, I didn't do anything!_ he glared right back at him for making the suggestion. _One minute he's trying to bite my head off, the next he's snarling and insulting me, and now he's laughing about _you.

_Me_?

'_Us?_' Youko wasn't sure whether to be insulted or curious, pursing his lips as he fidgeted inside their soul and finally settled on an ambiguous growl. '_Us… laughing about what? And how do you know that?_'

_He's talking to me,_ Hiei tapped his pinkie against his forehead to indicate the mental discussion, unwilling to take the buffer of his palms away from his ears until the raucous sounds had died down to a less painful level. _And if that's his idea of laughing, I'm glad he's using a_-

_Sonofabitch, he really is a little pretty boy, isn't he?_ the laughing remark interrupted and snapped Hiei's gaze right back up to the youkai who still appeared to be fighting to keep his amusement under control. _No wonder Sesshoumaru's got a stick up his ass over him_.

_Then you know who we are?_ Hiei prodded suspiciously, clenching his jaw as he tried to figure out just how much he could pass on to Kurama without breaking his agreement with Sesshoumaru when he wanted his answers now more than ever.

_Who doesn't?_ the snort was strong enough to send debris blowing past them as he dipped his head to lick at his sluggishly bleeding paw. _It's not every day an avatar saunters his ass up to the Western Lord and announces that he's Kagome's lover_. He turned a momentarily baleful glare on Kurama and expanded his contact, _Thanks, by the way, fucking prick put his hand through my gut working off his temper-tantrum_.

_I'm starting to see a pattern_, Hiei remarked dryly.

_He has a nasty habit of that_, the youkai shrugged. _Now what are you doing here? And when did you get tagged? I thought Sesshoumaru had you boys on a leash to make sure there weren't any accidents_.

_Tagged? _Hiei went right back to scowling, sneaking a quick look at Kurama and brushing his mind to see if this youkai was excluding him.

_Think you_'_re rubbing your throat for your health?_

Kurama was instantly forgotten as Hiei turned to stare up as the dog lifted it's chin, letting a circular symbol flash once below his throat to show it beneath the thick fur and drying blood. Understanding had his eyes widening as something inside him gave off a heavy pulse in answer, twinging through his heart and bringing his hand instinctively to cover the aching scar.

_Now, what happened? Was Kagome hurt? _the rumbling voice took on a darker edge, an open threat as his claws dug into the soil and his teeth pulled back in a dangerous snarl. _How did you get involved? Why hasn't Sesshoumaru told me about this?_ _Fucking hell, it was that swarm, wasn't it? I _knew_ I felt her soul pass the barrier!_

Kurama's gaze slid back and forth between Hiei and this new youkai who looked nearly identical to Sesshoumaru, jaw tightening with slowly mounting fury when he realized he'd been cut out of their conversation again. Especially with being unable to hear what was getting the inu so riled up that his ki was visibly sparking off him while Hiei was looking more and more like someone had just hauled off and back-kicked him in the gut.

'_Why the fuck is he talking to Hiei?_' Youko growled out, pacing angrily as he sought an outlet for all the unwanted emotions bottling up inside them. '_And why the fuck isn't he talking to _us?_ We just saved that bite-sized asshole's life and he's tuning us out like we're some sort of pathetic human?!_'

_At least now we know why Koenma never thought Sesshoumaru left his lands_, Kurama started to count very deliberately, forcing their temper under control before they did something stupid like kill both the youkai being so glaringly disrespectful to him. Or rather, killing them before he figured out what the fuck was going on.

'_Probably a son_,' Youko flicked a dismissive gesture. '_He's got that damned empty thing too, so I can't smell to be certain, but the appearance is too close_._ More importantly, how did Hiei get _here_ when the last time we tried we were nearly cut in half, and why are all these bastards suddenly paying attention to him?_'

_Sesshoumaru said that she'll recover in two days_, Hiei found himself answering, watching with a sort of detached fascination as he felt the fury of this youkai pouring through him at the mere suggestion Kagome had been injured. But then… hadn't he felt the same thing? Frowning, he reached up and pressed the heel of his hand against the Jagan, trying to stem the growing headache, _It… it was only a few hours ago_ _in the Ningenkai_. _She helped me, but then the taiyoukai knocked me out_. _I don't know what happened until I woke up in the main house, but he was holding her when I left. She was sleeping_.

_He hates to share_, the edge slowly softened until the youkai's expression had softened back into relative calm. _Deep-seated childhood issues, you know_.

Hiei's lips twitched, more convinced this youkai was closely related with the thick mockery entering his voice, _Who are you?_

The youkai ignored that question again, his eyes back on Kurama as he felt the overlapping ki spiking higher for every passing minute, _Gods, it really is a kitsune thing? And here I always accused Shippou of just being an attention whore_.

Kurama jolted at the sudden return of that voice, his own flashing gold at the insulting way he was being selectively drawn in, _What is it with our lover and arrogant bastard inu youkai?_

_What can I say? She's a dog person,_ his lips pulled back in a grotesque facsimile of a smile. _But you… you don't belong here, not yet_.

The anger drained out of him in an instant at those last two words, curiosity and a tiny flame of excitement blooming deep in his mind, "What do you mean by that?"

_You're presenting, jackass,_ he rolled his eyes. _You're supposed to be impartial, and that means this is off limits_. _Shit, didn't those idiots tell you anything?_

"Obviously not," Kurama muttered under his breath, eyes gleaming suspiciously as he glanced at Hiei and narrowing when the hybrid shrugged to show his own lack of understanding.

_Yeah well, not my problem_, the youkai rose to his feet, flicking his tail out with enough force that the trees were nearly uprooted around him. _Just get the hell out of my lands or I'll have to eat you, and trust me, kitsune is _not_ my favorite flavor_.

'_Oh hell no_,' Youko growled low in his throat. '_He is not going to try and brush us off after he just openly showed us that he knows why they're being so damned strict about us!_'

"What are they not telling me?"Kurama demanded when it seemed as though the inu really was going to just up and leave without saying another word.

_You're a smart breed,_ he tossed back over his shoulder with a wicked smirk. _You figure it out. Besides, how the fuck would I be able to tell if you're good enough to stick around if you can't get past one little snag like Sesshoumaru? You didn't actually expect I would let just _anyone_ get close to Kagome, did you?_

Kurama pulled back in surprise at the deadly serious note filling those words, the insinuation that this creature somehow held the most control over Kagome's final decision. Blinking in disbelief as even Youko fell silent to peer more intently at the creature watching them over his broad shoulder, Kurama's eyes narrowed and he murmured out quietly, "Who _are _you?"

The youkai smirked, letting out a snort of amusement over Kurama's reaction as he turned away and started back the way he'd first come, _If you want that piece of information, tell Kagome I'll make sure my last rampage looks like a tea party if she doesn't get her ass down to see me_. _She'll know who I am_.__


	41. Leaps and Bounds

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:   -gasp choke- The curse!  -wheeeze- The curse of 41!  -pant straggle cough- It's got me!  It's-!  -bursts into giggles- Okay, I just can't hold that any longer.  (Sorry, Gravidy, hon, but you knew I wouldn't be able to resist once you said that.  –sits down with a sigh- Now, I know this has taken a bit, but I took a mini snowboarding trip and ended up going down at a bad angle and doing interesting things to my arm.  Sooo… typing has been slower, but at least I have all those secretarial years behind me of the "one hand on phone and other on keys."

That said… into love-love!  As ever, my lovely junkies, buddies, reviewers, readers… you guys are completely uber.  (Hee hee… I even bugged poor Belle and had much fun doing it.  XD)  So much speculation again. –taps finger to lips- Well, well… granted I'm not going to tell any of you if you're right or not, but it's fabulous reading all the ideas.  I love hearing what grabbed you and even just what you were thinking for the chapter while you were reading.  –grins- It makes my day so much more enjoyable, and I really, truly adore you all.  –blows kisses-  But let's get on with it, shall we?

By Any Other Name 

Leaps and Bounds

            "This isn't _fair!_" Koenma slapped his hands against his desk, ignoring the Botan's concerned attempts to settle the prince's tantrum in front of the unaffected gods standing between him and his former detectives.  "You knew this was going to happen, that's why you made me bring them in when you did, and tricked me into not being able to ask them what happened down there!"

            Miroku's expression was a perfect study of innocence as he regarded the shaking finger now pointing at his face, tilting his head to the side and holding up one hand in a calming motion, "Now, now Koenma-sama, you wouldn't possibly be suggesting that there was any way for my wife and I to know _my_ detectives would be entering a volatile situation so soon after their employment was transferred to us, would you?"

            '_Have I mentioned how much I enjoy spending time in the presence of this particular god?_' Youko drawled out in a decidedly calmer tone of voice than he'd been gracing Kurama with for the past two days, willing to settle down temporarily with the promise of viewing another showdown between Reikai's higher powers.  '_Especially when Koenma's humiliation and inconveniencing are involved_.'

            Kurama made a noncommittal sound, busy basking in the peace of relative silence in his own head and arms loosely folded over his chest with his eyes reflecting the warmth of their amusement the longer the monk played buffer against Koenma's railings.  Inwardly frowning at the new pitch the demi-god's voice seemed to reach with his continued denial of the information he wanted. 

Sighing at the unimaginative argument, he let his eyes slant over to Hiei's bored expression as he answered Youko's insistent poking, _You have made it adequately clear that you find Houshi-sama to be an acceptable distraction_._  When you aren't whining and hissing at me about being an "undersexed prude" for not agreeing that it would be a good idea to make an attempt to sneak into Kagome's bedroom every time the sun goes down, of course_.

            '_You _know_ she had to be home_,' Youko inserted just enough whine into his voice to make Kurama's eyebrow twitch, smirking in victory at the curses his other half sent his way at the irritating tone before giving the impression he was ignoring him again.  '_This two day thing is complete bullshit_.  _I want to see her, Kurama; it's my right!   I need to touch her and make sure she wasn't really hurt by what happened_.  _Doesn't it feel like forever since we last held her?  Tasted her?_'

            Kurama caught himself before he absently agreed, sending a dark scowl at the kitsune pretending to be innocently engrossed in the dramatic antics playing out in front of them the moment he had his counterpart's full attention, _Nice try_.

            Youko let out a snort of disgust, settling back to pout, '_Hell, I have to try _something._  With Hiei being all weird and quiet, and you refusing to do what we should be doing to take care of our lover, I'm bored to tears_.'

            Kurama almost shook his head in resignation when Youko made a few more crass remarks about Hiei and flopped back, _Technically we _did_ break the rules of our agreement with Sesshoumaru by trespassing on his lands the way we did_._  But if he is willing to overlook that I'm not going to tempt fate by making a move when he has told us he doesn't intend to punish us with anything more than a minor separation_.

            '_Any separation is unacceptable_.'

            _Two days in comparison to the entire life of her soul, Youko,_ Kurama scolded softly, clenching his hands where the others couldn't see his agitation.  _Besides, we aren't the only ones who are feeling this way_.  _Kagome has been without us as well_.

            Youko blinked, his annoyed twitching stopping as though it had never been when he processed that particular thought.  A slow, hungry grin started to spread across his lips, eyes gleaming as he blew out a deceptively lazy sigh and trailed a light caress down their spine, '_Ah… I see where you are taking this line of thinking_.  _We will see how much she has missed our presence in Sesshoumaru's hasty action_.'

            Kurama noticed the way Hiei's eyes slanted towards him, confused by the slight frown tugging at the hybrid's mouth, _Sesshoumaru is not the type of creature to give commands in haste, Fox_.

            Youko's brows lifted in surprise at the uncharacteristic defense, sitting up more alertly and narrowing their own attention to Hiei in uncertainty when he seemed to dismiss them after giving that opinion, '_That's not the first time he's defended that fucking dog to us, Kurama_.  _Why hasn't this gone away?  He still has that goddamn look_.'

            _Which one would that be?_ he sighed and resisted the urge to massage his temples in case the hint of a throb turned into a full-blown headache.

'_Don't be dense, you know it bothers me,_' Youko huffed.  'That_ look, like he just had amazing sex_ _for the first time in his irritating life_.  _Kick him_.'

Hiei rolled his eyes.

'_Preferably somewhere that will cause a great deal of pain and suffering_,' he clarified when caught that.

_I'm sure Kagome won't mind if I tell her you're indisposed and can't see her for another month_, Hiei's face took on such an expression of sadistic delight for a split second that Kurama leaned back, his arms falling to his sides in shock even as the look returned to easy boredom.

'_Don't even joke about that, you little bastard_,' Youko growled low in his throat, eyes flashing at the very thought the hybrid would try something like that.  '_If you so much as open your mouth in her direction with the intention to say those words_-'

Hiei snorted, shifting his weight just enough to open his stance to something more defensive, _Are you really going to threaten me when you don't know where Shinju's temple is_,_ Kurama?_

            Youko's displeasure intensified and Kurama let out a sigh as he focused more energy on soothing the kitsune's emotions, _Easy, Youko, he's just saying it to piss us off_.  _He doesn't have any control over our contact with Kagome, and we're going straight to the temple as soon as Houshi-sama gives us our dismissal from this_.

            '_I still don't see why we're here at all_,' Youko shot one last threatening scowl at Hiei and ignored the two-word response.  '_Houshi-sama has this under control, and it's already the afternoon_.  _I want to get to her before she has lunch_.'

            _She may not have time to entertain your scheming today_, Hiei cut in again, his voice taking on a vague note that had Kurama grinding his teeth together in frustration.  _Kagome has a prior engagement_.

            _How would you know that, Hiei?_ Kurama's eyes narrowed fractionally, slanting to the almost distant expression on the hybrid's face.  _We haven't been allowed contact since I dragged your ass out of Makai_.

            _I never said I had contacted them_, Hiei shrugged.  _But Sesshoumaru insinuated she would be busy when we visited, so I'm warning you not to get your hopes up_.  _I don't want to have to listen to you pouting all night_.

            '_She'll have time for us,_' Youko insisted, folding his arms and turning up his nose against the mere suggestion of another possibility.

            "You know the rules, Koenma," Sango's short bark dragged them back into the conversation to see her grab his wrist and apply enough pressure to get him cutting off mid-rant with a yelp of discomfort.  "You can make all the accusations you want, but under the current agreement, you have no rights to any information _our_ detectives have collected.  Dragging us away from our prior engagements for this kind of idiocy is not winning you any points from myself or my husband."

            "But-!"

            "Do you want to re-grow your form that badly after all?" Sango's voice lowered to a truly ominous pitch that had the temporary ruler blanching and cringing back away from her.  "Just keep speaking, Koenma, I can make it happen."

            Miroku smiled peacefully and slid his hand down over the curve of her backside, "Calm down, my lovely Sango, I'm quite certain that he does not mean to insult us in such a way, do you, Koenma-sama?"

            Kurama couldn't help by smile faintly, wondering just what kind of look the god was giving their former boss to get such a look of stark fear filling his eyes as Sango released the captive wrist in favor of smacking her husband over the head for the blatant groping, _They are very clever together, aren_'_t they?_

            _A relationship to be envied_, Hiei dipped his chin ever-so-slightly in agreement, drawing their curious gaze yet again at the oddly pensive note to his voice.

            Youko twined his arms around their soul, whispering softly to avoid detection from the seemingly hypersensitive youkai, '_This is starting to become disturbing_.  _Since when has Hiei ever shown the slightest hint of anything but indifference towards a romantic-type relationship?  Even if it _is_ between two gods who could probably teach us a few new ways to maim and decimate our opponents_.'

            _Apparently since that day_, Kurama ground his teeth together in frustration, soothing himself by carefully gliding his fingers over the dormant vine he'd been steadily feeding his youki into for the past two days.  _Whatever happened to him while we were stuck fighting Shippou and those human boys_.

            '_He's always broken down and told us before long when he has secrets_,' Youko ran his tongue over his teeth in a mildly nervous gesture, a show of turning his thoughts over a particularly stubborn puzzle.  Snorting in irritation, he flopped back, determinedly putting it aside to mull over subconsciously while paying more attention to Koenma's growing discomfort, '_He can't keep it from us forever, and I'll be ready when he slips up and shows us what changed in his pointy little head_.  _In the meantime, help me think up a good trick to get him back for that threat about our lover_.'

            It was difficult to suppress his urge to sigh, but Kurama managed to bite it back before it became obvious, half-heartedly scolding Youko for his childish temper, _Is that really necessary?  We're going to see her shortly, and I'd rather not delay that by wasting energy for the sole purpose of pissing off Hiei_.

            '_Coward_.'

            "This is ridiculous," Sango made an expansive gesture around the chamber with one hand, her already strained temper drawing sparks of dark energy up around her torso in sporadic bursts.  "You know the rules, and you know that Houshi-sama and I are very busy, but you're still pulling us away from our important duties to behave in such a spoiled fashion?  If you had wanted to keep your rights to these detectives, or to your precious investigation, Koenma, you should have paid more attention to the agreements you were signing.  Now… are you _quite_ finished?  Or do I need to convince you a little more."

            Koenma's indecision showed clearly on his face as he looked from the detectives to the impassive Houshi-sama and the more daunting threat in Sango's eyes, "I-I…  But, I-?"

            "Don't you have paperwork to do?" her knuckles cracked and Yuusuke lifted a hand to cover his snicker at her behavior, even more at the way the prince was trying to back away from her.  "Or have you really caught up from that mess you tried to convince us to help you with?"

            Four pairs of eyes turned on the squirming caretaker, varying from amused to openly suspicious, but none of them opened their mouth to offer any assistance as they waited patiently for more information.  Koenma set his jaw, tilting it up as he shifted the pacifier from one side of his mouth to the other, "You're- you are known for having a way with files, Houshi-sama."

            "I do try," he dipped his head to acknowledge the compliment.  "Yet if you continue this disrespectful trend, I may fall behind in my own paperwork, and then I may have to seek out new methods of relieving my stress."

            "The rules are simple, Koenma," Sango flicked a hand out behind her to open the door with a resounding bang.  "We have no more time to waste on this matter when nothing you say will change our answer.  Stop bothering our detectives or we will run out of patience and chastise you more seriously than I intend to do now."

            Miroku turned around with a calm smile, gesturing for the four men staring at him inquiringly to precede him out of the office, "My beautiful wife will handle the rest of this meeting, if you would-?"

            Youko grinned coldly from inside the safety of their head when those violet eyes lingered on him the longest, sparking with a myriad of carefully guarded emotions underneath the usual amusement, '_Damn, just when it was about to get good_.'

            Hiei scoffed at that, turning on his heel and calmly exiting as the others seemed to snap out of their indecision at his move and follow suit, _Make up your mind, Fox, just a moment ago you were complaining that we were having that meeting at all, and now you complain because it's over?_

            '_You know whatever she's about to do is going to be good, and they all openly admit she was a taijiya in her lifetime_.  _Those skills have to be even better now after so many centuries,_' Youko defended in a lofty tone, slowing Kurama's footsteps as he exerted his influence to get their eyes flashing gold in silent displeasure under Miroku's "herding."

            _I doubt this will be our last chance to view Sango-sama's skills,_ Kurama regained control with a warning to behave to his antsy other half, smoothing a hand down the front of his shirt to cover the internal struggle.  _If you stop dragging your feet we might be able to catch the end of classes_.

            Youko immediately redirected and perked up at the suggestion, '_Ooh!  Yes, hurry up then!  Let's go watch our lover teaching youkai children how to fight, it'll give us a good idea of how difficult it will be to convince her she wants to have ours_.'

            Hiei snorted and shook his head, tossing a particularly dry look over his shoulder at him, _It's almost disturbing how obsessed you are with Kagome and making sure she's the one crazy enough to breed with you_.

            '_You said yourself that she was the one human female who could possibly be a mother to my children effectively,_' Youko snapped back.

            _I said she would retain her sanity and control your inherent psychosis,_ Hiei corrected with a subtle flick of his hand.  _If you are going to throw my words back at me, have the sense to quote me properly or I may begin to think you are becoming senile in your advanced years_.

            '_Oh, I'll show his ass senile_,' Youko drawled out in a low growl, gathering his ki to take over and advance on the amused hybrid when a restraining hand came down on his shoulder and sucked the energy away.

            "A moment of your time, Youko Kurama?" Miroku's voice really left no room for a denial despite the wording, but the upraised hand bringing Hiei and the two uncharacteristically quiet detectives to a halt effectively stopped his forming protest at the delay.

            Still, he couldn't resist heaving a mock sigh and murmuring, "I don't suppose you would accept my apologies for poor timing and let me leave without seeing you privately?"

            Miroku's smile never changed, but the look in his eyes shifted to something Kurama knew very well as the deity leaned forward and whispered, "I leave the choice as to whether you would like to retain an illusion of control in front of your colleagues to you.  Besides… I'm sure that clever brain of yours already has an idea of what topic I wish to discuss with you."

            "My Kagome," Kurama was already turning as he whispered back, not even needing Youko's promptings to do so under the sudden wash of possessiveness filling their soul.

            Amusement lit in those violet eyes as he turned his back and started to walk away, lifting his hand in an imperious summons to show he wanted to be followed.  Miroku waited until they were an acceptable distance from the others, hidden by more of those strange "walls" before coming to a stop and sliding his hands into the sleeves of his robes, "You have already decided?"

            Youko was instantly wary of the tone, eyes narrowed as Kurama absently brought his hand across his chest to cup his shoulder, a habit whenever danger could present itself at any second, "Are you going to try and stop me?"

            Miroku slanted him a grave look over his shoulder, chuckling softly when he saw the confusion chase across those green-gold eyes, "Calm yourself, if I was intending to interfere, I had a million chances to do so before now.  You would never have seen her standing in the doorway, or across the street from you with her brother."

            Kurama sucked in a slight breath, stiffening under the subtle implications coloring those words, _Is he-?  Is he suggesting-?_

            '_He guided us to her?_' Youko breathed out in awe, sitting back inside their body as one brow kicked up in suspicion.  '_Dammit all, I can't tell if he's fucking with us or if he really is telling the truth_.'

            "But… then I would have had to wait so much longer to see that smile," Miroku's gaze turned introspective, resting two fingers on his lips as they curved upwards in tender remembrance.  "And I do so love to see her smiling face, Youko Kurama, never doubt that.  I would lay a thousand kitsune at her doorstep if I knew it would make her happy without me."

            '_He admitted it!_' Youko crowed out in victory, very nearly springing forward to tackle the monk before Kurama caught him and held him in check.  '_You heard it!  We were right, she's the reincarnated second wife, and he-  Oh HELL no, tell him he's not doing any more "guiding" involving _our_ lover!  She's mine now, I saw her first_-!'

            Miroku started to chuckle, surprising him out of his rant as he turned around to stare at Kurama directly, "Your eyes are turning red the longer you speak to yourself, but then… I knew you would take offense to hearing I was capable and willing to offer her others."

            "She has me now, she won't be seeing anyone else," Kurama's eyes narrowed, mingling with Youko as their consciousness merged under their agreement regarding this particular topic.  "And if you send others to try and take her away from me, I'll kill them."

            "Ah, then you _have_ decided to stake your claim seriously," his brows lifted, forming his expression into curious surprise, if one ignored the knowing arrogance lighting those eyes.  "How very troublesome."

            "If you did what you're hinting you did, then you practically gave her to me," Kurama resisted the urge to look over his shoulder, not wanting to clue Hiei in to the conversation's severity.  "You don't have any right to complain about my behavior after all this time.  You're a deity, you obviously knew I would want her and be good to her, or you wouldn't have led me her direction."

            "Is that what you think?" Miroku's lips curved again, teeth flashing in an oddly chilling way as he took a step closer to Kurama.  "I may have turned your eyes to show her to you, but you think… that she is yours to take?  To win?"

            '_What the hell?_' Youko's brows furrowed slightly.  '_Shippou… Shippou said something to us similar to this right after the meeting with Sesshoumaru, remember?_'

            _I remember_, Kurama tilted his head, forcing himself to remain perfectly still under the monk's searching look.  _There's something here we're missing_.  _Something important_-

            Miroku chuckled and leaned back, eyes narrowed and flashing brightly for a split second before his face settled back into his perfectly stoic expression, "I see.  Even after all this you are still denying it to yourself?  Perhaps you were not the right choice after all."

            Kurama nearly saw red, lashing out before he'd realized he'd moved to slam his palm flat against the wall beside Miroku's head and hold those unperturbed eyes within his own deadly serious glare, "I will not give her away to another, not even at the whim of a god."

            "Is that so?" Miroku's brows lifted in polite curiosity, inwardly snickering when he saw the muscle in the kitsune's jaw twitch and spasm.  "And would you fight me for it?  Knowing you would possibly lose your soul?"

            '_He's testing us_.'

            "I would fight you and survive," Kurama assured him in a low growl, not bothering to acknowledge Youko's observation before they blended together again.  "Stop posturing at me, Houshi, I get enough of it from the youkai surrounding her."

            Miroku nodded in agreement to that, making a sound of contemplation as he tapped a finger to his lips and murmured, "Indeed, indeed… for a time I wondered if perhaps her new partner could be found among them.  But that was before I found _your _soul.  Very clever, by the way, escaping and creating your avatar aspect."

            "I won't be talked in a circle or turned by pretty words, Houshi," his eyes narrowed as the touch of that disorienting aura started to tug across his senses.  "You told us once that you were a jealous man, but I can promise you that your worst memory of what you wished you could do to anyone who touched your wives inappropriately will look like the most gentle of affection compared to what _I_ will do to anyone you send after _my_ Kagome."

            Miroku stared silently into his eyes for a long moment, unaware of how similar their expressions became the longer they clashed wills until he sighed and turned to look off at something only he could see, "It will remain a mystery to me as to how Kagome manages to stand prolonged exposure to the intensity you kitsune seem to exude without damaging her mental state."

            Kurama snorted, but he could feel his lips twitch upwards slightly at the roundabout acquiescence to his claims on the miko, "I was good enough for you to select."

            "You were good enough for me to bring into her life, Youko Kurama," Miroku glanced back to correct him softly.  "Everything beyond that is left to her decision and your actions.  But I like you, and so far you have proven that my judge of character has not degenerated over these many centuries."

            Kurama blinked, his hand falling back down to his side in surprise as he stared at the smirking deity in rather dumbfounded fascination, _He likes us?_

            "Trust a kitsune to know when a woman is in need of someone to play with, someone who can erase the shadows of sorrow from her lovely eyes," he winked, sidestepping around Kurama to start walking back the way they had come.  "Kagome has not had an easy life, not in the past and not now, but I have the power to help her the way I could not before.  And if you make her happy, I will count you among my allies."

            '_Sonofabitch_-' Youko's eyes widened, opening his mouth to speak in response to the incredible distinction when Miroku turned a decidedly evil look at them over his shoulder.

            "However… if you ever hurt my beautiful wife, Youko Kurama, you can be most certain that you will wish you had never escaped Death the first time," Miroku lifted his hand, letting the black energy crackle and curl up into his palm ominously.  "Am I understood?"

            _Oh yes, Houshi-sama, I understand you_ _now_, Kurama's eyes flashed, a smile slowly turning up his lips as he nodded in satisfaction, "Perfectly."

            Miroku closed his eyes and returned the gesture, making a casual motion with his hand to dissolve the gathered energy and indicate Kurama was being dismissed, "You will protect her, and you will come to understand that her love for her family does not diminish her capacity to love a husband with her entire soul."

            Kurama nodded slowly to show he understood, clenching his jaw when Youko cocked his head to one side and started to grin, '_He's telling us not to make her choose between them and us, the way to make her ours body and soul_.  _He wants us to know what we need to win her for ourselves_.'

            "And a note of advice-"

            Kurama could feel his eyebrows lift in absolute shock at the offering, subconsciously leaning forward in his eagerness to hear what he had to say after everything the deity had already revealed, "Yes?"

            "If you ever see Kagome with a sword in her hand," Miroku trailed off, his lips quirking up at some private entertainment before he shook it off and pinned the kitsune with a serious look, "get her out of the fight."

            '_What?_'

            "I'm sorry?" Kurama vocalized their instant confusion. 

            Miroku chuckled, folding his hands back up into the sleeves of his robes as he turned to face away from him again, "You heard me.  Kagome has never had the- the _heart_ of a swordsman.  Her skills in that aspect of her training have remained a running joke within the family since our first gloriously failed attempts to teach her how to use one."

            Youko snickered to himself, an odd curl of affection escaping him to wind through Kurama at the thought of such a flaw even as he felt the kitsune murmur through him, "No one is perfect."

            _That's a new stand coming from you_, Kurama accused him.

            '_What?  I happen to think it's cute that she has such obvious power with her arrows but can't use a sword,_' Youko turned up his nose.  '_Besides, no one can be a master in _all_ things, and that only means she knows that she needs to keep us close to protect her_.'

            They could hear the smile in Miroku's voice as he nodded and replied to Youko's vocalization, "Her strength in close battles lies in her defense.  If you wish to see her openly assist you in a dangerous situation, give her room to use her arrows."

            Kurama nodded, his eyes taking on a more calculating gleam as he regarded the deity in front of him and finally asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

            Miroku sighed and shook his head, "Because there is always a possibility that one will have to fight to protect and keep the woman they truly care about, and I want you, Youko Kurama, to be prepared when that time comes."

            _He wants us to be prepared to defend her_…He_ wants_ us_ to succeed with making her ours_, Kurama's chin kicked up at a haughty angle, smirking at having such direct approval from the ascended form of the monk who'd won her in their former lives.  No matter what the youkai around her said to him now, _this_ god, the one who'd had her before any of _them_ was giving him his blessing.  A god's blessing-

            '_Well don't just stand there like a twit then, let's get moving_,' Youko chuckled richly in his delight and gave Kurama a hard shove.  '_You're wasting time standing here like a schoolboy soaking in his praise when we could be convincing our lover to adore us.  Besides, I don't trust what Shippou and those boys will try and say to her about us if we are tardy_.'

            Kurama rolled his eyes, but started back towards his companions, shaking his head at their questioning looks to show them that he was intending to be secretive as Miroku leaned back in the shadows and watched them open the portal back to the Ningenkai.  He folded his arms over his chest and grinned widely, not at all surprised to feel the sudden smack against the back of his head that nearly sprawled him out, "Ow."

            "You're a terrible man, Houshi-sama," Sango set her hands on her hips and frowned at him.  "Now he thinks he's holding some great secret over Kagome about meeting with you and hearing all of these things.  And you're only encouraging him to believe it's true."

            "It's entertaining to me," Miroku protested in a whine, rubbing the back of his head.  "You have to admit that it's fun to watch them muddle through our history while we keep rearranging the pieces.  It's like we left a mystery novel and they're reading it, but we're outsmarting them whenever they think they're close to solving the puzzle."

            "Kagome would beat you if she knew how you were behaving," she muttered a few words under her breath about the intelligence of certain gods, turning her frown at the beautiful man casting one back look to where Miroku had last stood before passing through after his friends.  "And are you _sure_ about this kitsune?  He's not evil?  He seems a little too selfish to be right for her to me."

            "Trust me, my lovely Sango, he will be just what she needs in her life," Miroku reached over and patted her hands reassuringly.  "Look at how quickly he figured out that she needed someone who would temper the seriousness she gained, and that she liked sunrises!  I didn't even have to help him with that."

            Sango sighed heavily, pursing her lips as she stared at the closing portal, "I suppose."

            He chuckled and slid his arms around her waist, gently pulling her up against his chest and whispering in her ear, "We are the ones who are being too selfish, Sango, in thinking no other could be good enough for her.  She is alive when we are not… it isn't fair of us to try and hold all of her soul to our marriage vows when our bodies are dust and our souls ascended beyond her reach.  Trust me in this, I am thinking of Kagome's heart."

            "But he doesn't love her," Sango protested stubbornly, yet her body was already softening against him, gratefully leaning into him for the comfort he could offer her.

            "Perhaps not the way we do, and not the way he should yet," Miroku nodded, a faint, secretive smile curving his lips.  "But he is very much an ancient, and a kitsune, my dear.  What he _feels_ is far deeper than what he will _admit_ he feels, you know how much they hate to think they could be the ones with the unrequited fascination rather than the one it is directed towards.  I looked into his soul, after all, and he cannot hide his intentions towards her from me."

            "You're sure of that?" she leaned away to search his eyes, frowning suspiciously at the innocent look on his face.  "Don't make me kill you, Miroku, tell me the truth."

            Miroku chuckled and shook his head, burying his face in her hair as he swallowed against the pang of heartache that went through him, making sure his voice would obey him before he murmured, "He will see the truth soon enough."  _He will see that my Kagome is not the only one who will find her perfect lover from my actions_…

::………::

            One minute Kagome was guiding her intent little students through a round of simple kata-

            The next she was almost completely bent over backwards, barely registering the flash of green to gold and the familiar, beautiful face framed by inhumanly perfect crimson hair before she was practically being devoured by the hungriest kiss she had ever, _ever _experienced in her life.  Her eyes closed on reflex to the assault, fingers twitching and finally giving into the need to sink into that hair she knew would feel like cool silk spilling through her fingers as she pulled him even closer.  Her entire consciousness seemed to flip upside down, disoriented and lost in a flood of heat making it's way through her veins the longer that mouth continued to slant insistently across her own.

            Kagome felt more than heard his groan, registering the arm he'd wrapped around her back when she felt his thumb brush across her spine through the thick gi with his fingers splayed out wide to hold her just how he wanted her.  Her mouth opened wider on an instinctive gasp when the touch of his ki sent a jolt straight to her soul, the sound lost when his tongue took advantage of that to slide deeper inside her mouth.

            She wasn't entirely sure how long they stood like that, overwhelmed by the feeling of his body against hers, his youki teasing her soul, the sinful smell that was his alone, and especially the way his mouth moved over hers… But it was the distant register of a badly muffled snicker that had her mind reluctantly coming down from its euphoric high to reconnect with exactly where she was and what she was doing.

            Kagome twisted her face to the side, her wide, glazed eyes meeting the shocked and amused eyes of her students and then up to see Hiei standing at the entrance to the training hall with his hand up in front of his mouth, _Hiei_…_ snickered?_

            That sound coupled with her movement triggered a sort of wave effect amongst the juvenile youkai and the parents who had arrived early to pick up their offspring.  Laughter and whispering spreading like wildfire amongst them until the Urameshi boys let out a gleeful squeal and announced loudly enough to be heard over the din, "Sensei's marrying Uncle Kurama!"

            _Oh he's definitely laughing now,_ Kagome's eyes cleared a little when she turned a glare on the openly amused hybrid, gritting her teeth and trying to push down her temper when she felt Kurama smile against her throat.  "I'm going to kill you," she took in a calming breath, barely resisting the urge to drop the kitsune on his head for interrupting and embarrassing her in front of her students.

            "I missed you too," Youko chuckled, sliding the tip of his tongue up the side of her neck before Kurama pulled him back and reasserted his control.  '_Killjoy_.'

            _You're going to get us-_ Kurama started to hiss, only to break off in surprise when the air was punched from his lungs and he was suddenly staring up at Kagome's blushing face- _thrown, damn_.

            Even expecting it after that first experience with her gift for this maneuver, he still jerked slightly when the sound of Hiei's laughter shattered the renewed stillness around them.  Scowling at the youkai leaning back against the doorframe to support himself under the force of his amusement, he let out a faint sound of impatience and snapped his hand up to catch her wrist before she could move out of his reach.

            Kagome let out a startled squeak when she felt his other hand tangle in the front of her gi, throwing off her attempt to counter his tug and sending her to her knees.  Kurama had released her the instant she hit the floor, hands moving to grab the back of her head and pull her down until he could steal another slightly upside-down kiss.         

            _I am going to get along very well with Kagome, Fox_, Hiei's amused thought entered his head when the miko managed to remember herself enough to break free of his hands a second time, swatting him upside the head half-heartedly and sitting back on her heels to catch her breath.

            "I did warn you I would bring you down with me the next time you did that," he murmured to her when she turned a disgruntled frown on him at the continued giggling around them.  "And you aren't so skilled yet that you can expect to out-trick a kitsune like me every time."

            _Keep talking, maybe she'll kick you too_, Hiei urged.

            _Quiet, you,_ Kurama huffed back at him, starting to roll to his side when she shocked him back into stillness by leaning down and brushing a fleeting kiss over his cheek.

            "Distract me again before class is over, Kurama, and I really will kill you," Kagome whispered in his ear before standing and turning to her class as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

            '_Oh she loves us_,' Youko slid his tongue over his lower lip in a decidedly satisfied motion, sighing as he folded his arms behind his head and let all the frustration of the past two days seep out of him.

            _You're a sick bastard, Youko_, Hiei was still chuckling, shoulders shaking and eyes softer than the kitsune could remember seeing from him as Kurama rolled gracefully to his feet as well.  _And I am never, ever going to forget the look on your face as that little miko tossed you on your ass for kissing her_.  _Good gods, I would kill anyone in this room to have had a camera_.

            _Covered_.

            Hiei's attention snapped to the other side of the training hall, brows lifting when he saw Shippou holding up his camera with a cocky smirk, winking and shaking his head to indicate Kurama hadn't been privy to that last remark.  Amused now, he set his hand comfortably on the hilt of his katana and couldn't resist asking, _How long have you been waiting for that?_

            _Since she told me about the first time she did it_, Shippou admitted with a wide grin, tucking the camera back down safely into his gi in a way that suggested more of his enchanted pouches were either sewn in or hidden on his person out of sheer habit.  _I was hopeful, with her temper and his mouth.  But then again, I _am_ an investigator… and I never go anywhere without my camera_.

            Kurama shrugged to himself as he saw Hiei turn his attention across the room, habitually scolding Youko for being childish enough to start making his innuendos when it seemed that Shippou was the focus of the hybrid's gaze, _Do you mind leaving him to muck about in his own dubious sex-life alone for a while until we straighten out ours?_  _The thought of those two in any sort of compromising position disturbs me on a level I wasn't even aware I had_.

            '_You can be such a baby_,' Youko snorted, but obediently settled back to watch Kagome quiet down her class with the threat of more disciplinary kata if they lost focus.  Unaware of the way his eyes gleamed as Kurama folded his arms over his chest and leaned them back against the wall to observe the way she meticulously corrected each child until she was satisfied before encouraging them to start again.  '_She is very patient with them_, _and she adjusts from one to the other_.  _At least her knowledge of forms and basics is good even if Houshi-sama is right about her lack of working skill_.'

            _Perhaps that's the reason she is in charge of the children_, Kurama suggested, never taking his eyes from her as she continued to walk through the youkai children, crouching down now and then to help control a spark of errant ki or adjust a swing before anyone caught the bad end of a shinai.  _Or Sesshoumaru can see how good she is with them_.

            '_This may be easier than we anticipated_,' Youko touched the tip of his tongue to one fang, letting out an appreciative rumble.  '_Good nothing, our lover is perfect around them_.  _Hell, even Yuusuke's boys are behaving for her, and that's nothing short of a damn miracle after the trouble we had with their attitudes.  Look at her, you can tell by her eyes that she's eating it up_.  _She wants babies of her own as badly as we want to give them to her_.'

            _We'll give her as many as she wants,_ Kurama assured him, wondering if he should be concerned with the way Youko had so easily said something so very serious.  He sighed and inwardly shook the thought away for a later time, reaching down to pat the vine at his wrist when he felt it stir and begin to wake.

            He wasn't in the least bit surprised when it let out a whine, recognizing its surroundings and casting about rather pitifully for the aura of the miko it had grown so attached to.  Kurama lifted his amused gaze to find Kagome staring back at him, holding out his hand to show her the rose as it shook off the forced dormancy and split its vine into two sections to reach out for her, "You are missing something very important, lover."

            A cough from somewhere behind her warned Kagome that the adults were beginning to find this entire fiasco just as amusing as their children, and she rushed across the space separating them to clap her hand over his mouth before anything more suggestive made it's way out.  Leaning up on her toes to hiss in his ear, "These are my _young_ students, you ass!  They're mature, but not _that_ mature."

            She could feel him smile just before he nipped her hand to free himself, reaching up to catch her wrist before she could pull farther away.  He waited until she had looked up at him before allowing his expression to shift away from the teasing smile to a much more serious intensity, "I was not able to give this to you in person the first time, but you still understood that it offers you my protection.  It calls to me when you're in danger, and helps to keep you safe until I can reach you."

            Kagome blinked, her thoughts scattering momentarily at the concern she could see in his eyes and hear threading subtly through his lecturing until her soul couldn't help but start to warm, _Without the rose_,_ he can't connect to me even that little bit anymore_.  _Was he really that worried without it to help him be sure I was all right?_

            The sudden squeal of delight drew broke her musings and pulled her eyes down to the familiar vine reaching out to cross the space from Kurama's wrist to hers so quickly it nearly blurred to her eyes.  The moment it touched her skin it split even more until its ends fanned out wide and started winding and rewinding itself up her forearm as tightly as it could without effecting her circulation.  All while making its little chattering noises that definitely held an odd impression of scolding and happiness all at once.

            Kurama smiled at the annoyed look that crossed her face, her fingers flexing unconsciously as he felt the rose expand its youki over hers with just as much possessiveness as his own, "You really should feel flattered, Kagome.  It missed you very much."

            "We talked about the understanding your plants thing," she gave him a pointed look, but he wondered if she even noticed the way her other hand had moved to stroke soothingly across the vines spiraling up her arm in its effort to lock itself in place as though half afraid it would be taken away again.

            "That's why I translated for you," he lowered his voice, curling his fingers up to touch the rose and send a potent streak of his own youki into the vines to reinforce its hold on her.  Kurama leaned forward, making sure she raised her eyes to his as they flashed gold and his voice dropped further to a private whisper, "No matter what situation you find yourself in, don't take it off again.  Or I may fuse it into your soul to be certain I will have a way to know when you are in need."

            Kagome's eyebrow arched, trying desperately not to let her eyes glow or show how greedily her soul siphoned off the power he was trailing over her skin while keeping her words steady, "I'm not a child, Kurama, I _can_ handle myself."

            '_That is so tempting_.'

            Kurama hurriedly stopped him from turning it into an innuendo just yet, strangely encountering less resistance than he thought he would until he realized Youko wanted to impress the severity of that instruction on her just as badly, "I have no doubts of that, little lover, but I would not forgive myself if something happened to you that I could have prevented."

            _And he goes from regular domineering youkai to romantic domineering youkai in less than sixty seconds_, Kagome bit the inside of her cheek before she did something silly.  Like kick him… or kiss him… she wasn't sure which sounded more appealing, "Kurama-"

            "Humor me?" he pressed his fingers to her lips to stop her protests, turning his head to purr into her ear.  "Since I have been able to use this to feel your soul at night, when I reach out my senses and can't find you, something in me aches.  Like an emptiness that won't be filled."

            _Goddammit_.

            "Please, Kagome?"

            _Fuck_.

            "I might even be able to be persuaded to let you throw me again without repercussions," Kurama's voice took on a decidedly playful edge, sensing the way she was struggling with her desire to give in like a true predator and giving her that little push to make her efforts completely unsuccessful.  "Provided you negotiate with another kiss."

            Kagome couldn't stop herself from laughing any more than she could stop the blood from going to her cheeks in a light blush at the way his earlier seductive words had sent such amazing heat through her body and soul.  Stepping back out of self-preservation instincts, she shook her head and pressed her hand to his chest to stop him from following, "All right!  All right, I'll keep your plant thing with me.  Just- just stop being sexy for five minutes while I teach, hm?"

            Kurama blinked at the strange request, looking down at himself and then back at her in a way that clearly indicated the impossibility of that request, "I'm not _trying _to be sexy."

            Youko was smirking widely, his tail flicking from side to side at the way his ego swelled to hear her openly- _publicly_ admit that she found them sexy, '_Damn right_.  _This is all natural, but it is very, very nice to hear our lover finds us as desirable as we find her_.'

            Kagome made a face, opening her mouth to suggest he stand in the hall or somewhere she wouldn't see him when a thought had her falling silent with a sudden, devilish gleam in her eyes, _Even better_.

            '_Oooh, she can't possibly think she can look at us with such a delicious expression and not give us a taste_,' Youko let out a low, admiring growl, starting to pour his influence through Kurama with every intention of taking another kiss.

            "How much do you know about basic kata, Kurama?" her question jolted through them, surprise and curiosity stopping them short as they both frowned and regarded her.

            "Kendo?" he glanced at the students watching them just as intently as the observing adults and even the furtive glances of the older students in the other half of the hall, lifting a hand to hide a chuckle when he admitted they _were_ causing something of a scene in her classes.

            Kagome shook her head, making a simple motion that had the children running to put away their shinai, "Judo."

            _Defensive focus, we should have guessed_, Kurama folded his arms over his chest and dipped his head once to acknowledge that he was familiar.

            "Enough to teach them to a class of children?" that sly look was in full force as she slanted her eyes to his, openly challenging while she mimicked his pose and offered him a smile.

            '_Teach-?  I've never taught a child anything_,' Youko protested.

            _You taught me_, Kurama pointed out, cocking his head to one side as he regarded Kagome's expression for a hint of what she might be thinking.

            '_That was different, I'm on the inside of you_,' Youko shook his head.

            _Are you telling me that you think we'll fail?_

            "I can teach a class of children," Kurama's eyes flashed gold again after a moment of silence, barely keeping the offended note out of Youko's tone when he knew Kagome wouldn't understand it was directed at _him_ for successfully baiting his moodier side with that insulting suggestion.  "By why would I do such a thing when it's obvious they already have an excellent instructor?"

            Kagome pivoted until her back was facing the class, carefully shielding her next words from everyone but the man at her side, "Because I need to speak with Hiei."

            _'Fuck that_-'

            "Don't say no yet," Kagome giggled at the way his brows had drawn low, waving her hand to dismiss what was likely about to be a prime example of youkai stubbornness mixed in with the kitsune gift for eloquence and persuasion.  "I know you hate the idea that there are things he's hearing that you don't know, Kurama, but what if you and I make a deal?"

            '_I'm listening_,' Youko drawled out reluctantly after a beat of silence, unable to deny a certain interest and suspicion over what she could possibly propose.

            "What kind of deal?" Kurama sent a few dry remarks inward, trying not to laugh at Youko's short, highly suggestive responses.  _Calm down, Hiei would no sooner become competition for Kagome than Sesshoumaru would renounce his holdings_.  _And this is a chance to show her we can fit with her family, you want to blow that when she's showing us this much trust?_

            '_I don't want her to be alone with him_,' Youko pouted.

            _It might be worth it,_ Kurama shrugged and mentally prodded him.  _C'mon, she'll be happier with us if we let her win the little battles_.

            '_There isn't anythi_-!'

"If you stay here without interrupting the meeting I need to have with Hiei, and Shinju tells me that you do a good job with instructing the children-" Kagome started, swallowing hard as she sent a quick prayer heavenward that she wasn't about to make a huge mistake.  Gathering her resolve, she turned her head to meet his calculating stare and finished, "I'll ask you to come to Yoshimi-cho with me."

            Kurama's eyes widened, "Yoshimi-cho?"

            '_You're_ kidding _me_,' Youko shot up in disbelief.

            "For two weeks."

            "Just you and I?"

            '_Tell her yes before she changes her mind!_' Youko snapped out, shoving at Kurama forcefully in his enthusiasm to agree.  '_Shit, I hope she needs to have private meetings with that little bastard regularly if that's our trade_.  _I can give him an hour for two whole weeks!_'

            _An hour, my ass, Hiei can spend the fucking night in the house for all I care, she wants us to go with her to Shikoku for two weeks to look at gardens?  Rose gardens?_ Kurama could feel the smile starting to spread across his lips, thoughts racing like mad over the slew of possibilities that kind of alone time with her opened up.  _Two weeks out of town with only Kagome and none of her over-protective guard dogs?_

            "Hiei can come too if you'd like," Kagome offered, clasping her hands together and nervously taking her lower lip between her teeth as she tried to settle her heart.  _Is this right?  Miroku wants me to move on, but I need to be alone with him to see if we get along for more than an hour or two_… _Sesshoumaru will probably want to kill me_.  "I know it's kind of a tourist trap, but I've always liked it there, and it's close to a few temples I need to visit and-"

            Kurama's hand cupping her chin to draw her face back snapped her out of her troubled thoughts and rambling as the uncertainty abruptly left her expression for amazement under the blinding smile making him that much more attractive, "I will be the best temporary instructor you will ever employ, my beautiful Kagome."

            "How are you feeling?" Shinju murmured softly as he came up beside the attentive hybrid, smiling as he watched his mother's temper manifest into quite a show for the amused audience.

            "Better now that I can feel all of you coming and going, and see inside your heads as much as anyone who's had the training to resist assaults of that nature," Hiei snorted and responded candidly, not bothering to look at the boy as he too watched Kagome put the kitsune in his place and take control of the class again.  He couldn't prevent the slight frown at the calm that seemed to radiate out from her and settle in his soul the longer he followed her with his eyes, but knowing he would get real answers when he asked those questions today made it more tolerable.

            "You came early," he sighed, glancing around to be certain Shippou was busy as well before he reached out and set his hand on Hiei's shoulder to pull him backwards.  "Kagome-sama wishes to meet with you in the house rather than the dojo.  I'll point you in the right direction before I get back to helping her make enough of a distraction that you have privacy when you ask her your questions."

            Hiei was silent, almost docile as he followed the boy away from the sounds of training and young voices.  Silent until he reached up and lightly touched the symbol resting below his throat, that is.  There was something different… something in this little monk's aura that felt new, but familiar and ancient at the same time, "You have one too."

            Shinju glanced back at him with a wry smile at the almost accusing statement, shaking his head slightly and tapping his fingers against his arm, "Not to the degree that you do, but yes, I have the mark."

            "The miko will tell me what it is?" he set his jaw when he felt the disjointed pulse run through his soul, nearly stumbling at its reappearance before he forced himself to straighten and continue walking.  "She knows what is happening to me."

            "Kagome-sama knows the answers to what you want to know better than any of us," Shinju admitted with a quiet laugh, turning a knowing look back on the frowning hybrid.  "Sesshoumaru will be glad to hear that you're coherent and you don't look like you've lost your mind, but with youkai it can be difficult to tell right away."

            "Why the hell would I have lost my-?"

            "The house is across the courtyard," Shinju cut him off, reaching out to slide open the shoji in front of him and point to the obvious structure.  "Kaze had to work and Shippou has dragged Souta into his class, so it's empty right now, but make yourself at home.  Kagome-sama will join you as soon as she can."

            Hiei blinked and frowned at him in annoyance, "You bear a striking resemblance to a deity that has recently been introduced to us."

            To his amazement, Shinju grinned and dipped his head in acknowledgement before he stepped back into the temple to retrace his steps, "Thank you, Hiei-san, I hear that more often that you likely suspect, but it never fails to give me more than a passing moment of pride."

            The shoji slid closed with a snap before Hiei could open his mouth to question exactly how Shinju knew what he was talking about, leaving him with one more to put to Kagome as soon as she made her escape from the watchful eyes of her over-possessive kitsune. 

            Annoyed now, he made a faint sound of disgust and darted across the courtyard to the side of the house facing away from the temple, scanning the exterior until his eyes found an open window.  Even being told to "make himself at home," there was still something discomforting about strolling in the front door to a structure he'd never entered.  Not that he felt they would go through all this for a trap at this stage of their games, but still… Hiei hadn't lived as long as he had by being careless.

            Silently entering the kitchen, he fanned out his senses to verify that he really was alone in the house before he let his curiosity get the better of him and began to explore the strange mix of ancient and modern aspects to the interior.  _It's all like this, everything they own,_ he frowned slightly, poking at a wind-chime that seemed to hum with power.  _All these charms and ofuda, I _should_ be feeling weak_.  _Maybe even paralyzed with how strong their magic I, but I don't feel-_

            Reaching up to lightly rub his head in an effort to stave off the beginnings of an ache, he left the kitchen and followed the hallway back towards the front of the house, stuffing his hands down in his pockets as he memorized the path.  All in all it wasn't much different from Yuusuke or Kurama's houses, the only difference being the obvious youkai ties to the family in a few of their displayed "gifts" and art.  To say nothing of the ancient weapons hung along the walls or resting in stands that looked as well maintained as any fighter's most prized collection.

            Hiei glanced into the den as he passed by, coming to a stop just as he passed the doorway when his own instincts kicked in, _That's strange.  There's something in that room-_?

            A brief mental battle with himself later, Hiei was turning to slip into the large room, eyes narrowed as he scanned the bookshelves and cabinets for whatever had caused the thief in his soul to awaken so strongly and precisely.  He was scowling a moment later when his search brought him to the entertainment center against the far wall, shaking his head over the oddities of human ideas of fun while he reached out and opened the cabinet beside the silent equipment.

            _Videos_, he swore under his breath, reaching in to slide a few of the unmarked cases out before pushing them back in when they failed to satisfy the gnawing vibration inside him.  _What the hell could possibly be interesting in a bunch of videos and DV_-?

            Hiei's mental conversation with himself unraveled when he slid the first few thin cases of disks aside and found himself staring down at an innocent looking computer disk with "Shippou's copy" written in marker across the reflective surface.  Arching an eyebrow he pulled it out of the stack and held it up, tilting his head as he tried to puzzle out just why this human thing would be setting him off. 

            _It's not even valuable_, Hiei snorted in disgust, starting to put it back when indecision and curiosity gripped him.  _But… it has that kitsune's name on it_.  _Fuck it, why the hell not?_ he glared angrily at the disk as though it was the source of all his troubles, sliding it discreetly into his clothes until he could look at it in private and figure out if it was anything useful.

            He had just shut the cabinet when he heard the sound of the front door open and close, just before the unmistakable sound of the inner shoji followed less than a minute after that.  Stepping to the side until he was in front of the picture window facing the trees protecting the rear of the temple, Hiei folded his arms over his chest and waited patiently for the oddly faded aura he'd learned to associate with Kagome to reach the doorway, _Now why does she still feel so faint?  I can feel the others_,_ and didn't she feel different before?  Stronger?  Was I just caught up in the fighting?_

            "Miko," Hiei acknowledged the moment she came into the room, one hand in her hair pulling out the ribbon holding it in it's high ponytail and her shakujou in the other.  She looked up when she saw him and smiled warmly, chuckling at the confused look on his face as she propped her staff up against the naginata display at her side and dipped her head to the "greeting."

            When Kagome straightened, the blue in her eyes flashed once and settled on a deep glow that held him strangely transfixed as she silently crossed the space between them.  He felt detached, almost as though he was watching a dream as the more regal her bearing became, the more her aura drained away until there was practically nothing left.  Yet he could taste the ki filling the air, practically see it dance lightning quick across the pale hand that she raised to press the tip of her forefinger against his throat.

The jolt that ran through Hiei in that instant nearly buckled his knees, reflexively snapping his hand up to grip her wrist when the warmth he remembered so clearly flooded him inside and out, every bit of tension in him smoothing away.  He felt his chest expand on a deep, startled breath, locking gazes as her lips pulled back in a warm smile before Kagome murmured the last two words he had ever expected to hear.

"_Okaeri_… Hiei."


	42. Sweet Lies and Sweeter Truth

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N:   Eh heh. I had a feeling I'd have to do explanations after that.  ;  Sooo!  First things first… for those of you who don't know the definition of _Okaeri_, or _Okaeri nasai_ (the more polite/proper version) translates to "welcome home." Also if the situation is casual it can simply mean "welcome."  It's the good manners response to _Tadaimaa_ – "I'm back/home," but there are situations where it has a deeper meaning.  I'll let you guys think whatever you'd like of that.  .  But suffice it to say, it's a common back and forth greeting among family members or friends returning to their homes to others who are already there.  Or in other words, essentially in this context… _Okaeri_, Hiei = Welcome home, Hiei.

As for Yoshimi-cho and Shikoku… Quick mini lesson –whips out glasses and extendable pointer thing to gesticulate- Shikoku is one of the islands of Japan south of Honshu (the biggest chunk of land which has such major cities and prefectures as Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagano, etc) but bridges were recently developed allowing easy travel between the two as well as the smaller islands in between.  Anyhow, Shikoku is famous for having its "88 Sacred Temples," and yes, Yoshimi-cho Rose Garden is a real place (but it's on Hakata-jima, which is a little island between Shikoku and Honshu that you can take the bridges to).  It has a collection of all types of roses from all over the world, not just those native to Japan, but it's far from the only garden spot on the islands.  Still it IS one of the spots more likely to have tourists despite Shikoku being pretty much the least visited of the major islands from a foreigner standing.  –sighs and shrugs, putting pointer away- Ah well, that should be enough to insert a note of clarity before I get going on boring topics and confuse someone or give away how long it's been since I had to recall this. XD

I've had a few people leave reviews asking to use parts of my story for something they want to do themselves, but at the same time they never leave me addresses to get back to them, so I haven't been able to respond.  –shrugs again-  BUT!  On that same note, I got the most fabulous lovely email from autumnfire and that just had me rolling around happily even with the stupid splint.  Just too uber.

:**IMPORTANT NOTE**: For those of you who might have missed it the first time around, I owe a great deal of inspiration for this story to Ookami-chan.  We went to school together, and not only has she been a doll in listening to me and talking out plot-hammering, not to mention helping me edit or smooth things out that were bothering me here and there.  But a MAIN point of the plot (that has yet to be completely discovered, but maaaaybe by the end of the chapter) was all her idea.  She has been uber fabulous in giving me permission to use parts of it and expound it to my own devices, but in reading this, you may end up with a few spoiler concepts to the end of _her_ story: Turnabout is Fair Play.  She laughed and joked that my way of telling _this_ story could almost be considered an alternate ending… give or take a few things of course.  SO!  Keep in mind that even though the rest of her chapters aren't posted yet, her version came **first** and I'm writing off what she came up and shared with me under her full knowledge and permission.  You can even ask her, but keep in mind she was in a pretty serious accident a month ago and isn't as quick to correspond as she'd like to be.

With that being said, to all of you, my darling darling little faction-type collection of junkies, buddies, reviewers and readers… these notes are already long enough, and you've had plenty of wait while this chapter was made "just so."  Now, I think it's about time you got a nice fat chunk of answers for being so sweet for so long, don't you? 

By Any Other Name 

Sweet Lies and Sweeter Truth

            Whatever Hiei had been about to say, ask, demand- hell, he didn't have the foggiest idea anymore, except to realize it had completely and totally fallen out of his head the instant those words registered in his mind.  _Home-?  Did she just-?_

            Kagome splayed her fingers, her gaze falling down to his throat as she turned her palm and pressed it against the symbol before meeting his wide-eyed stare again to smile gently, "It only hurts if you push against it, Hiei.  It's already inside you, a part of you.  If you don't accept it openly, the process is more difficult."

            "What's a part of me?" Hiei demanded, latching onto the distraction gratefully when that wave of weakness flowed through him again, forcing him to walk back until he could brace himself against the wall or else fall flat on his face.  "You know what's happening, miko, what have you done-?"

            "Shh, easy," Kagome lifted her other hand to press a finger to his lips and stop him as soon as his voice started to take a panicked edge.  "Relax or I'll have to call Sesshoumaru in here, and he doesn't have much leniency with this part.  Trust me, you'll enjoy it more if I'm the one walking you through."

            He started to open his mouth again, brows drawing low in a scowl when she let out a sigh and leaned forward to rest her forehead against his.  Hiei tried to jerk backwards, smacking the back of his head on the wall in an abrupt reminder of his position as that steady wave turned into more of a tingle, "_Miko-!_"

            "You saw it."

            Confusion took over when she straightened, her oddly glazed eyes taking on a more melancholy feel that was giving him the most bizarre urge to comfort her when a jolt of pain snapped along his spine.  Sucking in a gasp as his body went rigid, realization hit him fast and hard just as the images came flooding back.  The voices, the blood, the fighting, the pain-

            Hiei stayed on his feet stubbornly, gritting his teeth hard as his eyes flashed red, glowing darkly with the conflict of emotions as Kagome turned to face away from him, one hand sweeping the heavy curtain of hair over her shoulder.  The pulse returned, slow and deep as the plain white gi seemed to ripple across her back in unison and began to hiss very softly, as though something was burning through it from the inside.

            The play of muscle and material was strangely hypnotic, holding his attention as her hands worked where he couldn't see to loosen the sash. One last tug finally offered enough slack for the gi to spill down around her waist with a simple shrug, baring the full length of her back to his stunned gaze.

            "Without the Jagan, it might not have been so intense for you, but you're the first youkai with such strong manipulation and mental control that I've touched.  I wasn't prepared," Kagome's voice reached his ears, some distant part of his brain processing the words even through the shock holding him frozen in place at the revelation of this full version of the intricate symbols he'd come to know fairly well in the past two days.  "I could feel your soul relive it with me, that's why I had to wake you so quickly.  Under normal circumstances, I would have let you rest until the worst of things had passed."

            "Normal circumstances?" his voice sounded foreign to his own ears despite the way the pulse had begun to settle, smoothing out to a low vibration and sending strength rushing back through his limbs with each beat.  _Wake me_…_ then that was Kagome reaching out to me?  Drawing me up out of the pain?_

But even those thoughts were gone when the pulse changed until he could _feel_ it chasing across the circle on her back, making the patterns glow and flicker like drops over a pond, and his hand tensed against the urge to push away from the wall and reach out to touch it.

            Kagome chuckled softly, slanting him a look over her shoulder as her eyes flashed deep indigo-blue, "You think I make a habit of blowing up and getting smashed into rocks by hybrid apparitions?"  _Be patient_.  _Rushing yourself will only make it worse_.

            Hiei blinked, focus shifting back to her eyes as the dry tone caught up to him and brought a sardonic snort from his throat as he processed both comments, "Point taken."

            "The only time I've ever had a reaction like that before, it turned into a disaster," she sighed, shaking her head as her gaze turned inward, flashing through things he couldn't see.  "Accidentally, I mean.  It was in a fight like that too, and he was trying to protect me," she trailed off into uncomfortable silence.

            But even without hearing her speak, there was still something…

            He winced and lifted his hand to his throat, brows lowering at the wash of cold energy that snaked down around his heart before dissipating, as she seemed to rouse out of her trance, _That was_…_ her sorrow?_  _I felt her pain?_

            "That won't always be how it is," Kagome's voice dragged him out of his own internal thoughts in surprise to see that same faintly apologetic smile on her face.  "Right now everything is up on the surface, so we're passing things over the connection more easily.  I try not to stay open like that unless I have to, or if I'm making sure."

            "Making sure of what?" Hiei tilted his head, regarding her with open curiosity, his eyes continuously returning to her back.  _Stay open?  What connection?_

            "Making sure your mind wasn't affected by touching mine," she tapped a finger against her temple.  "I had you long enough to pass on the brand.  My brand.  But I won't bring you into the family unless you're strong enough to hold your sanity."

            His hand lifted, covering the smaller rendition of that mark with his palm as understanding flashed through his eyes, "Your brand-?  But then… Sesshoumaru isn't the head of this family-?"  _It's her?  Kagome is the head of a youkai organization?  She controls the Western Lord-_?!

            "Don't get ahead of yourself there, hybrid," Kagome grinned and let out a laugh, making a dismissive gesture with her hand as she gathered the edge of the gi loosely in the other to preserve her modesty and turned back to face him.  "Sesshoumaru is, was, and always will be the head of the family.  Without him, there would be nothing, regardless of whether or not he's the one doing this marking."

            "Then why this?  What's the distinction for the brand?  And why do you claim it?" Hiei shook his head in a show that he didn't understand, inwardly practically bursting with delighted curiosity at so exclusively being offered the answers they sought.

            "Because _that_ mark is one that only I can give, my choice," she responded before frowning and regarding him silently for a long moment, holding his eyes as he patiently waited.   Something flashed through her eyes faster than he could catch and she let out a heavy sigh, "Before I tell you any more, Hiei, you have to understand one thing above all else."

            "Which is?" he folded his arms over his chest, arching his eyebrow in question.

            "That the secrets within this family are more important than any other alliances and friendships you have," her expression had changed, displaying a grave severity that he hadn't thought the miko had truly been capable of.  "The choice is still yours right now, but I'm only going to tell you once that if you accept my offer, then what you find out from me can only be discussed with others of our kind."

            "_Our_ kind, miko?" the brow arched higher.

            "Family," her lips curved up in a taunting smile, tapping her fingertip meaningfully against her throat where the symbol manifested on the others he'd seen.  "What did you think I was going to say?"

            "I had no idea," he shrugged and looked away for a moment, trying to banish the odd sensation that she had been well aware that he had suspected she would admit some form of youkai heritage.  "Sesshoumaru already told me that I would only get my answers if I kept your secrets to myself, even from my closest… friends.  I kept up my end of the bargain, Kagome, and you branded _me_.  I think that shows I have a right to hear what I want to know."

            Kagome sighed and braced her hip on the edge of the couch, lips twitching in amusement as she observed, "I have to admit, you're definitely not helping me disprove Shippou's theories about the pattern."

            Hiei frowned at that vague generalization, "Pattern?"

            "Arrogant, over-bearing, demanding, probably sadistic, even a little evil," she tapped her forefinger against her chest again for each point without releasing her hold on the gi.  "It seems like every youkai that can hold their mind together after I'm through with them has to fit in with a few similar traits.  Shippou attributes it to my 'lousy taste in men,' since he suspects I have more control over who can and can't survive."

            "You _do_ seem fond of Kurama," he couldn't resist taking the moment to see exactly how she responded to poking fun at the kitsune.

            Kagome let out a sigh of long-suffering, keeping her expression serious and even slightly pained as she nodded, "You see what I mean?  Shameful."

            Hiei grinned and started to chuckle, relaxing his stance more at the obvious sign that she seemed to share in the same wicked humor he'd hoped she would indulge in, "Perhaps there is hope still if you already openly admit to your failings."

            Her eyes were sparkling brightly as she refolded the gi and absently tied the sash to free her hands, "The general consensus amongst the family seems to involve various parts of his body being displayed independently from the rest of him, but I rather like Kurama all in one piece."

            "How heart-breaking."

            "Sesshoumaru thinks so."

            Hiei smiled at the dryness that crept into that remark, suggesting that Kurama was a point of considerable arguments between the miko and taiyoukai, to say nothing of the rest of the males in the family, "I can well imagine.  Inu breeds are well known for being more possessive than average youkai, and less tolerant of the behavior kitsune are known for enjoying."

            "Don't remind me," Kagome raked a hand through her hair as she turned and walked towards the window.  "Everyone I've brought into our family on my own really should be wearing some sort of warning.  'Unable to coexist peacefully with others, heads _will _roll,'" she made a sweeping gesture with her hand as though reading the words across a sign.  "Still, we are very serious in protecting our own, and I do nothing to discourage taking whatever measures are necessary if the situation calls for it.  So I guess that goes for me as much as it does them."

            He couldn't stop the disbelieving snort, "You?"

            Kagome half-turned to regard him again, this time letting a more enigmatic smile cross her lips as she sat back on the window sill, tucking one knee up to her chest, "If you know anything of Sesshoumaru, you're aware how little use he had for humans until the time came that it became necessary to mingle.  Even now, he still limits his dealings with them to the few he believes have proven themselves worthy and have a… _passing_ intelligence and skill.  Do you think I would be as close to him as I am if I wasn't different even from other humans in the way I think?  Behave?"

            "You _are _different from a 'regular' human, miko, I've seen your power for myself," Hiei reminded her, more than willing to let the conversation wrap back around to the serious tone she seemed ready to take on.

            "Have you?"

            Something in her voice had him going quiet, straightening his posture under a frission of suspicion that sent an odd tightness through his stomach, "Have I?"

            Kagome averted her face from those piercing scarlet eyes, resting her forehead on the glass to stare out at the trees giving the house an illusion of solitude and undisturbed nature, "You _saw_ the purification skills that I was born with, and I know they're probably stronger than anything you've ever seen but that's really the least of my powers.  You _felt _the rest of them, even if you didn't know it at the time.  What came to me after what you saw and experienced in my mind when you were knocked unconscious."

            Hiei regarded her for a moment, trying to figure out just what the full meaning behind her words could be, what he was supposed to hear, "What do you mean that I 'felt it?'  What _did_ you do to me?"  _The "rest of them" what?  And what blending?  What am I missing_? __

            Her head stayed in that position, but her gaze shifted back to him as her lips quirked in a humorless smile, "You had been trying to protect me when the explosion hit, whether you meant to do so or not.  I probably would have been able to hold back if you hadn't done that, but we both would have been hurt to some extent.  And I decided I would rather hide inside you, make you stronger to help end the fight to show you how much your efforts impressed me."

            Hiei jerked in alarm at that, instinctively stepping back and closing his hand over the hilt of his katana in a defensive stance when a thin ribbon of energy flared to life around her wrist, "What the hell?"  _Hide_…_ inside me?  She can't possibly be suggesting that she was_-_?_

            Kagome blew out a heavy breath, curling her fingers up and letting the flash of magic snake to the tips in a nearly blinding streak, "The Shikon-no-Tama is not what you were led to believe it to be."

            The words barely penetrated when he was lifted off his feet and pinned up against the wall behind him as she slid off the sill with fluid grace and came back to stand in front of him with that same calm stare.  Hiei could feel his right arm being lifted against his will, straining uselessly against the unseen force as it dragged his hand up and out towards hers until their palms were pressed together.  He sucked in a sharp gasp, eyes filling with alarm when he felt her skin heat where they touched, passing along the sensation until it spread up into his wrist.

            "What are you doing to-?" Hiei started to demand when her palm gave off the same pulse he'd felt through his soul ever since the brand had appeared.  Nearly growling in his frustration at being helpless to such bizarre control, he stubbornly increased his efforts to twist and pull away while her skin paled to iridescent white and seemed to blur against his.

            Kagome watched his face intently for any signs, any lost control as she felt the resistance against her hand soften the moment her soul matched the rhythm of his own, expanding and sliding into him with a deeper pulse.  When his eyes remained clear, she breathed out a relieved sigh and reached forward slowly letting her hand absorb into him an inch at a time, "You were unconscious.  But you felt it happen to me.  When Inuyasha was fighting and accidentally made that wish, the one the jewel answered.  You heard it speaking to me, and you heard what I said back.  You heard exactly what it was, what it wanted to become."

            Hiei's mouth fell open, drawing in a shaky gasp when his youki began to rise, multiplying at a staggering rate the more she seemed to be pressing into him, _That_-_ that voice?  Was the jewel?  I was playing Kagome_'_s part in the memory?_

            Kagome leaned forward, pitching her voice to a soft murmur in respect for the way she knew his senses were heightening as her hand sunk farther into his soul.  Drawing at the youki hungrily to smooth away the holes her intrinsic purification made in her own, she stubbornly held back against the whispering urge to take that step forward and slip inside him completely, "That was the first time it really spoke to me in that way, the first time the souls mingled together to reach me.  It never had a need to grow a voice like that until it was ripped out of me."

            More flashes rushed through his mind, the bandana burning away under the sudden flush of jyaki from the Jagan, feeling it eagerly narrow and clarify the images being fed into them from her mind.  He could see a young hanyou pinned to a tree, a dark shape rushing at him, and just as rapidly felt a searing pain in his side as fangs tore into the flesh.  Something echoed inside his head all the way from the depths of his soul, letting out a scream of pain and fury as it was ripped away from him, leaving him numb and disoriented until the force of the strike flung him empty and weak to the ground.

            "We hated that youkai first," Kagome's voice changed, snapping him out of the memory and drawing his attention back to the fact that he was still pressed into the wall with her arm seeming to vanish almost clear to her elbow into his hand.  He tried to pull back as he watched the images reflect through her eyes, glowing eyes while that inhuman white continued to spread up her arm and out along the rest of her skin.  "She took advantage while we were sleeping peacefully and separated us from our miko so violently, but she made us realize that we would never be safe.  That creatures just like her could feel us, smell us, and would always try to hunt us out for themselves.  You understand that feeling, don't you, hybrid?  Being hunted?  You know why we did what we did to make sure we could not be parted from her again."

            _To be hunted? _Hiei's chest heaved under his gulping attempts to fill his lungs with much-needed air.  _Any thief understands that, but what_-_?  Kagome has the jewel still?  It returned to her?  But_..._ what does it mean saying us?___

            "The Shikon-no-Tama was vulnerable as a jewel, too easily stolen or broken, and too easy for some worthless idiot to get delusions of grandeur as soon as it was in their hands," she slowly leaned back as soon as she noticed just how much more jyaki she had pulled out of him, the way it was waking the darker parts inside her and tugging at her aura to lower her inhibitions on it.  Pushing the whispers back with practiced care, she drew her arm out until she could solidify enough to lace her fingers together with his and squeeze until he met her gaze, "The stories I was told, what everyone knew… we didn't suspect it was alive, or think to question that it was capable of planning.  But it was just gathering strength, waiting for one of us to say the words it wanted to hear to open up a path back to me."

            "It attacked you," Hiei whispered, awe-struck by the way his youki so abruptly retracted with the extraction of her hand.  The dull, empty ache left in its passing almost exactly mimicking the feeling he'd experienced after that bite in the shared recall.

            Kagome shook her head, gripping his hand tighter as a shudder wracked her body under the effort it took to suppress the renewed urge to sink into him and more fully blend with his youki, "Not exactly."  _Not yet… the choice is still his to make_.

            "Are you all right?" he frowned at the sudden pallor in her face, catching himself when he was released from the restraining force in time to stop her from dropping to the floor.  "Miko-!"

            "It's normal," she assured him, gritting her teeth when the metallic taste of her own blood hit her tongue.  "I just have to readjust any time I draw in that much unbalanced jyaki, and it's not the most pleasant feeling but I can handle it."

            "What do you mean unbalanced jyaki?" Hiei lifted her off her feet effortlessly and carried her to the couch, setting her down with more care than he would thought himself capable.  He brushed that off, stepping back and crouching down to be closer to her eye-level as he waited tensely for her to recover from that bizarre fluctuation in her aura.

            "What else?" Kagome gave him a lopsided smile before a grimace chased it away, one hand pressing to her heart in reflex to the almost deafening pounding.  "Youkai that I haven't jumped into before and purified to match exactly with my soul, the ones who still have nothing but youki and jyaki tangling together and fighting inside them.  That's why youkai go wild you know, upsets in their internal balances."  She wiped the back of her hand across her lips and made a face at the thin line of blood that smeared over the skin, quickly poking the vines still unwilling to release her forearm, "Don't _you_ tell Kurama about this or I'll make you sit with Souta for a week."

            "It's impossible to purify a demon without killing them, miko," Hiei prodded to get her attention back on him when the vines stirred and seemed ready to start their protests.  He flashed it a quick glare with a reinforcement to exclude Kurama from their discussion and refrain from distracting the miko it had attached itself to before it had even begun to rear up in displeasure.

            Kagome shook her head again in denial to his statement, gingerly dabbing the corner of her mouth until she gave up on that and pressed her sleeve against it, "Shouldn't that be the last thing you say to me after I just practically put half my arm _in_ you without any of the standard burning and destruction that youkai are supposed to experience from miko power?"

            "I've seen stranger things," he folded his arms, chin kicking up in an automatic display of arrogance.  "Now you said that the Shikon-no-Tama didn't attack you, so what do you call what I felt happen?"  _If I'm right, that was the jewel, the pain and the blood… it shattered when it struck her back_.  _Where did it go?_

            "The jewel _was_ incomplete at the time, but most of the shards had been recovered by a really nasty hanyou named Naraku.  We all _thought_ it would have to have all its pieces before it would hear a wish," Kagome's jaw tightened in self-directed disgust over the naïve beliefs she had once held.  "Hell, now that I look back, I have no idea what we all thought would happen after it was restored.  All the legends and rumors ever said was that the jewel increased a youkai's power if they were to absorb it, but it would disappear completely with a selfless wish."

            "But that wasn't how it worked," Hiei observed when she muttered a few darker curses under her breath, trying to bring her back out of her self-deprecating memories to continue giving him the story he wanted to hear.

            "Sesshoumaru was the one who was right about it," she nodded to show he'd guessed right.  "Unfortunately we weren't exactly on full speaking terms with him until after the damage was already done, and even then, he only really spoke with me.  But that's not important now, not to what you want to know.  Just that he said we only knew as much as the jewel wanted us to know, and it's not like we ever doubted our information."

            "And what was your information?" Hiei fisted his hands against the urge to grab her in his excitement to get the truth.

"I was born with it inside me," her hand lowered to press against the scar, making Hiei's eyes widen in renewed amazement.  "So everyone figured it was just a sign I'd been reincarnated from the last miko who was cremated with it.  I never really questioned if that explanation was true, not the right way to get answers anyway, and none of my friends thought it could be that the jewel made me around itself instead."

            "The legends did mention a guardian of the jewel," Hiei rocked back on his heels, his mind racing at all the implications in her words.  _Made around-?  The Shikon-no_-_Tama created a miko for itself?  To protect itself?_

Kagome shrugged carelessly, showing him that she'd come to terms with everything she was passing on to him long enough ago to have no difficulties retelling what she knew, "I _was_ the guardian.  And it would have been happy to stay in me like that, sleeping while I guarded, but it was pissed off that someone tore it out of me.  So it decided to get stronger and then make sure that it couldn't happen to us again."  _It decided that the only way to prevent it was to make sure there was no "jewel_,_" nothing that could be removed_.

            Hiei started to ask for more clarification when everything he'd seen and heard suddenly clicked into place, making his eyes flash bright scarlet as he jerked back instinctively under the wave of incredulity, "_You're_ the Shikon-no-Tama."  _But that's impossible!  And- wait, if it _is _true, then what really happened to us?  That day_, _when I was unconscious_-?

            "The Shikon-no-Tama decided it wanted to be able to choose –that _I_ choose, who is worthy of carrying it, and we decided to give you a spin so to speak.  See how we liked the feel of your youki from the inside," she wiped the sleeve over her mouth once more to be sure the blood was gone before gesticulating absently with her hand. 

            "You… were inside me," he repeated, taking in a very precise breath as his mind tried to wrap itself around the unexpected answer.

Kagome leaned forward, dipping her head to catch his eyes as she reached out to cup his cheek and explain, "Why do you think I knew how to control energy the way I did?  Your attacks might be damn impressive, Hiei, but trust me, it's cake to handle compared to being fused with an artifact like the jewel and having to learn how to control having entire hoards of youkai souls bonded to mine."

            "But the legends are from centuries ago," Hiei's eyes narrowed on her face.  _She can't be the same… it's not possible_.  _Unless she's_-

            "I didn't say I survived it," Kagome smiled at him as she retracted her hold, keeping her answer vague enough for now to steer him away from that line of thinking.  No need to overload him any more than necessary before his soul completely settled past the point of danger, "I mentioned that I was fifteen before I realized I even had miko powers, remember?"

            He continued to stare at her, searching her face until his shoulders slowly relaxed under the honesty he could feel in those words and he focused his thoughts to include her, _Then… the accident they mention from time to time_.  _It caused everything to resurface, your memories of the jewel, and your miko blood_.

            "Imagine my surprise," Kagome dipped her head.

            "Sesshoumaru is the master of the jewel, and that's why the two of you are so close?" Hiei sat back to be more comfortable, folding his arms over his chest as he tried to withdraw from her mind enough to work at putting all these bits and pieces in their place amidst the bigger picture.

            "Sesshoumaru is my master-carrier, for lack of a better term, my partner," Kagome's nose wrinkled, imagining the look on his face if he heard her actually refer to him as her master in any way.  "I need him more than you can possibly understand right now, just to live and keep control.  He's the only youkai strong enough to hold all of me as long as he wants without losing his mind.  Kouga is close, but even he starts to feel it if I'm inside him for too long."

            "How many people do you jump into?" he glanced up, carelessly brushing his fingertips across the mark to feel it hum now that he knew the source.

            "Not everyone who has a mark can take that kind of contact from me, so less than you're imagining.  So far, I've only successfully been carried by seven who lived through the experience, five youkai, one hanyou, and one human," she closed her eyes for a moment, unable to stop the tender smile from crossing her lips at the memory of Miroku's visit.  "All male, so it's obvious the jewel has certain preferences."

            "Your husband was the human," Hiei straightened with a decisive nod, mentally trying to pinpoint each one with the creatures he'd seen branded himself.  "When he was alive."

            Kagome's eyes shot open with a start, brows lifting and sitting forward so quickly her hair tumbled forward over her shoulders, "You know about my husband?!  How did you-?  When did-?"

            "The wolf told us," he smirked at the look of surprise on her face as it melted to confusion over that source.  "I doubt he realized it at the time, but he mentioned after you were dragged off by your overzealous family that your husband would have liked Kurama if he'd been alive.  Something about being a fellow pervert?"

            She blinked and tried to hide her giggle behind her hand, "Actually, that's true, even if my husband would deny it.  But I don't understand, Kurama has known that I was married before ever since you met Kouga?" 

            _Oh he's going to owe me for giving him this,_ Hiei kept that thought private as he nodded.  "He said he thought you'd tell him about it when you were ready, but it didn't change how he felt about you or his intentions," he didn't look particularly happy to be passing along the message, but the thoughtful look on Kagome's face suggested the kitsune was going to be at his mercy for this favor for a good long while.  "I'm right, aren't I?  Your husband was the human."

            Distracted by the unexpected stirrings of warmth inside her soul, Kagome lightly brushed her fingers down the vines around her arm and tried to stave off the rising blush, "Yes, he was the only human who managed it.  Even Sesshoumaru was impressed with his control."

            "Then I met the fifth… in Makai," Hiei's eyes gleamed as drew her away from thoughts of Kurama, much more interested in her reaction to what he was about to say.  "He had the mark, and he said you would know him… to tell you that his last rage would look like tea party if you didn't get your ass down to see him."

            Kagome blinked, mouth falling open and mind blanking as she snapped up to focus on him completely, "Inuyasha?  You saw Inuyasha in Makai?"

            "Is he Sesshoumaru's son?" he reached out and rested his hand on her knee at the thrum of unease echoing through him, no longer questioning the odd compulsion he felt to comfort her as long as he could get answers for why.  _Inuyasha, that was the name from the memory, one of the other voices in the fight_.  He's_ the one who made the wish, the one that fused her with the jewel_.

            "Oh good _gods_ no!" Kagome burst out laughing at the thought, holding up both her hands as though physically warding off the suggestion.  "And don't say that around either of them either, they'd eat you.  Inuyasha is Sesshoumaru's half-brother, he used to be a hanyou, and trust me those two are on speaking terms by the barest thread of civility."  She paused, frowning slightly as she remarked more to herself, "At least… they still were before I left.  They might be better now.  Or worse.  It can be touch and go whenever you mix their egos together in a confined space."

            "Then he wished on the jewel to be a youkai?" Hiei couldn't stop the slight disdainful curl of his lip, only too familiar with childish desires to be a pureblooded creature in the face of the way they were viewed.  _His childhood must have been hell_…_ if he's Sesshoumaru's brother he has to be centuries old himself, and that time wasn't kind to mixing blood_.

            "Actually, not… really," Kagome dragged out reluctantly, reaching up to slide her hand into her hair nervously as she slanted her eyes off to the side.  "That was an accident, and we didn't realize it had happened until Sesshoumaru pulled me out of him.  The other times he'd lost control, he changed back to his normal body, but…  I didn't have control at the beginning the way I do now."  _I didn't even understand what happened that first time, and neither did he_.  _We almost went insane_.

            "What do you mean?" he'd shifted forward to awkwardly cover the hand in her lap with one of his own before he realized he'd moved, making a face at the strengthening urge to smooth away the pain in her eyes.

            If she felt his discomfort at his emotions, she didn't show it as he felt the unique experience of his youki being gently pulled out of him to mingle with her aura until it calmed, "He and I were an explosive mix, and to some extent it was a good thing.  It helped us win an important fight before our friends could be killed.  But after it was over, his soul wouldn't release me."  _Sesshoumaru had to rip me out by force, and even then he was fighting to keep me inside_.

            Hiei's brows lifted in surprise when he caught that thought, barely stopping himself from asking for details when a ripple of pain snaked down along his ribs from behind.  Gritting his teeth with a hiss, his spine arched until the feeling passed, watching Kagome's eyes flash a bright, electric blue to prove that she was feeding him pieces of the memory that she was willing to share.

            "Sesshoumaru handled it," she repeated flatly, letting the pain recede until he slumped forward in relief.  He caught himself with one hand to hold steady until his strength returned as she reiterated, "And it was just an accident."

            Panting slightly, he nodded to show he was willing to back down from that subject, swallowing against the constriction in his throat to ask, "Who else… carries you?"

            "A hanyou I was forced to absorb," Kagome turned her face aside, the tense line of her jaw displaying her distaste for the answer before the moment passed and she faced him straight on.  "He… was evil, nothing I could do would have changed that.  And now I can jump into you too."

            Hiei jerked back, "What?"

            Kagome's brow arched, "What the hell else did you think I meant by telling you that you're part of the family?  Or why Sesshoumaru trusted you to keep our secrets?  I was _inside_ you, Hiei, and correct me if I'm wrong, but you haven't gone on any homicidal rampages in the past two days, have you?"

            "Actually… I've felt pretty good," he murmured vaguely, reaching up to rub the back of his head as he admitted to the uncharacteristic sensation.  _This… this can't be right_.  I'm_ a carrier?_

            "That's actually why _I'm_ the one who needed to speak with you," Kagome leaned back on the sofa, gliding her hand through her hair and sighing and holding it still when the rose squeaked and relocated to its favorite spot.  Rolling her eyes when she felt it start to separate pieces of her hair to braid, she propped her elbow on the arm of the sofa and continued, "Right now, you have two options open to you."

            His brows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"

            "I mean that the real reason Sesshoumaru told you to come here today was that there's a certain- ah, I'd say gestation period but that sounds wrong," Kagome made a face.  "Essentially, when a youkai takes in the Shikon-no-Tama, their power increases.  Even after I leave, part of me is still holding part of you," she reached out and tapped her finger to the brand at his throat.  "A piece of your soul taken from right here."

            Hiei's hand came up to cover the mark in reflex, "A piece-?"

            "Of your soul," she nodded and completed the aborted sentence.  "That's the problem.  I'm unbalancing your levels of youki and taking in the darkest parts of you to wrap around an artifact that thrives off whatever energy is closest to it.  Evil source, the souls' influence gets stronger and they try to absorb it.  Pure source, and I start burning parts away with purification.  If it can't balance, and if the youkai can't adjust without giving into the presence of the souls…" _I have to absorb it_.  _It's too dangerous to take the risk that they'll try to take us for themselves in their need for power_.  _We thrive in consuming those corrupted souls, making them part of us to be tortured by the others for the entirety of our existence_.

            "Then why have carriers at all?" Hiei tilted his head to one side in genuine curiosity.  _Why take the risk?_

            Kagome's smile held a touch of self-mockery, "Because regardless of what I am now, I was still a miko first, and the Shikon-no-Tama was inside me for fifteen years.  Even if I didn't know it was there, it was still mixing itself with the magic in my soul, feeding all of itself into me.  Before I was trained to control myself, the raw purification that I was capable of shocked everyone I came in contact with.  No matter how intense the jyaki or strong the barrier, I could get through it or dissolve it usually without even thinking about it."

            A soft sound of understanding escaped him, "Including the jewel." __

            Kagome nodded, "You see the problem."

            "You started to purify yourself."

            "My husband was the one who figured out that to counteract that, I had to have a balance of youki," Kagome clasped her hands together in her lap, tucking one knee up to her chest habitually.  "And the only way to get that-"

            "Is to absorb it from your carriers," he smirked at having come to the correct conclusion.

            "Too much youki and I start- well, devouring everything around me with youki in it for lack of a better term," she shrugged as she tried to put the description of what she did into the right words.  "The youkai that were trapped inside the jewel get agitated and kick into defensive mode now that they've come up with a 'life' that they enjoy.  They fight to protect it.  But if I have too little, my soul starts to burn itself up because my miko powers are too strong for the souls inside me to stand against."

            _And I thought Kurama had it bad_, Hiei winced slightly, keeping that thought to himself.  But he opened the path enough to pass along, _I never thought I would meet someone with a more difficult composition than myself_.

            Kagome giggled and made a dismissive gesture with her hand, "Half and half isn't so bad when you think about it.  Granted, I could see that didn't have a good time of it when you were younger, but you're still a full youkai.  I can name a number of hanyous who would have killed to be what you are before the standards started to change."

            "Perspective is everything it seems," he remarked dryly.  "Why is it so difficult to find appropriate carriers?  What makes it work?"  _Why couldn_'_t I feel anything before?_

            "For one thing, don't start thinking I'm 'all powerful' or something ridiculous like that," she made a face slightly at the idea.  "By myself I'm really not much of an opponent, except for my miko powers.  I don't pretend I'm a great fighter, but if I'm in a tight spot, I can defend myself long enough to get help or absorb into whatever's around me for a last resort.  But once I'm inside someone with youki that I can use, it's a different story…  I enhance power that's already there."

            Hiei frowned, "You need a youkai to access your power?  Any youkai?"

            "In a pinch, it doesn't matter that much to me if they're already attacking me, but Sesshoumaru is my best example of how it's actually supposed to work," Kagome lifted one hand to lightly brush her fingertips over her shoulder, feeling the crescent warm to her touch.  "He was already about as close to being perfectly balanced as a youkai can get, and his level of control is ridiculous.  He never wanted or needed the jewel to be stronger, he even thought it was disgusting that others needed it to increase their power."

            "That's not surprising," Hiei arched an eyebrow, fully able to picture the taiyoukai saying exactly that.

            Kagome's lips quirked at the memories and continued when he gestured subconsciously for more, "Being who and what he is, we made a partnership.  He can blend together with me completely, and no matter how long I'm inside him or how much power I feed into him, he never has the slightest trouble pulling me out whenever he wants."

            "And that's a problem."

            "It can be," she blew out a sigh, raking her hand through her hair as much as she could.  "After a point, the youkai I'm inside won't want to let go for one reason or another.  It's harder on me if they won't release me willingly, and it takes more energy to get out by force, not to mention the other souls go nuts."

            The thought of a hoard of youkai going ballistic from inside a miko girl-turned enhancing artifact was enough to make him frown sharply and she laughed again before offering, "Not a pretty picture is it?"

            "It's a disturbing suggestion," Hiei acknowledged. 

            "It's worse to see it happen, trust me," Kagome folded her arm on top of her upraised knee.  "It was only once, but if Sesshoumaru hadn't been there, the gods only know what would have become of it."

            "You mentioned that I have a choice now that I have… carried you," he paused over the unfamiliar use of that word.  "What did you mean?"

            "That's simple," her eyes flashed a deeper blue with her amusement.  "The first option is that you accept me, and that you can use what I am without ill-effects.  You join the family and become one of the protectors of the Shikon-no-Tama where you'll, of course, be expected to answer to Sesshoumaru and adhere to the same rules as the rest of us.  That also means that our lands are yours.  You'll always have a home with us, and you're welcome to all of our information and assets if you need them.

            "The other option is that you decide you don't want this kind of lifestyle," she held up two fingers to illustrate the second offer even as her expression shifted back into grave severity.  "At this point in the process, I can restore the piece I've taken, remove the brand, and essentially erase everything that's happened to you since I first entered your soul.  Whatever your choice is though, it has to be final.  Stay or go, it's your decision, but if you decide you want to be a part of us, your life _will_ change."

            Hiei was absolutely certain that if a portal to Makai had ripped open right in front of him and poured out every denizen of the lowest dregs, he wouldn't have so much as batted an eyelash.  Staring in dumbfounded amazement at the girl watching him as though she had all the time and patience in all three realms to wait for him to digest the bombshell she'd just dropped into his lap.

            Which was probably for the best, considering he had absolutely no idea how long he sat there staring at her blankly until he heard his voice breaking the stillness, "Join your family?"

            "Equal parts pro and con, that."

            Hiei blinked, a hesitant smile starting to twitch at the corner of his mouth, "I wouldn't be able to kill Takashima."

            "You can try and hide it under training, but Jaken is right, Shippou's got a harder head than some youkai twice his age," Kagome tapped her own head as she spoke.  "Kitsunes, you know.  Very resilient breed."

            "Unfortunately," he dipped his head in agreement.  _She's serious about this_…

            "I don't joke about important things of this nature," she let her foot drop back to the floor to make it easier for her to lean forward and cup his chin, tugging his face up to meet her eyes again.  "But don't think you could be lazy or skulk about in the background, you'd be treated the same as the rest of the family.  That includes stocking up on a few more kimonos for when we have formal dinners at the compound.  Sesshoumaru insists on dress codes for all our private get-togethers."

            "I wondered about that," he murmured thoughtfully, recalling the way everyone he had seen around the old-fashioned grounds in the woods had been dressed.  _Family_…

            "You still couldn't tell your friends though," Kagome rose to her feet, letting her hand slide off his face and spark his youki along her senses.  "Not yet."

            Hiei's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing shrewdly when he caught the way she self-consciously reached up to touch the end of the vine sneaking around her throat, "Kurama.  You don't want Kurama to know."  _Why?_

            Kagome turned to glance down at him over her shoulder with a pained smile, "I've never met a youkai who didn't know what I was, didn't know about everything.  And I- I like him."

            His brows shot up, eyes flashing in realization at the shadowed look the chased across her face, "You like him."

            A faint hint of a blush touched her cheeks as she nervously returned to the window, trailing her fingers down the curtains to keep them busy as she tried to expound on that, "I don't know how much, but something about him…  Would he behave differently if he knew that pursuing me would bring him to the secrets of the jewel?"  _What if I want to keep him?  And if he knew_,_ could I ever be sure that it wasn't just that power that he wanted to be connected to?_

            Hiei slowly rolled to his feet, watching her as more of the pieces started to fall into place with the shared insecurity, "You want him to choose you before he knows what having such a close place in your life would earn him."

            She nodded a single time, "Kurama… I would be lying if I didn't admit that I like being with him, or that I'm attracted to him more deeply than anyone I've met since I lost my husband."  Kagome shook her head and turned to lean her shoulder against the class with a faraway expression, "But Sesshoumaru is right.  I need to be sure of his intentions, just as much as I need to be sure of my own before I risk my emotions on him."

            _Holy gods, that idiot kitsune is actually succeeding_, Hiei lifted his hand to cover his mouth in case it betrayed the sudden flash of amusement.  "You are thinking of him seriously," he let a note of question slip into his tone, trying for verification.

            Her lips tightened for a moment in a show of her internal indecision, "I don't know.  To be honest, I'm half afraid that I just know he wouldn't be satisfied to be anything but an amazing lover, and want to play with him after I haven't had anyone since I returned.  But if _he's_ serious, if he meant what he first said to me, he's looking for someone to have children with."

            It was even harder not to burst into laughter, folding his arms over his chest as he regarded the miko trying to talk out her own confusing emotions, _Oh this is fucking priceless_.  She's_ thinking of _him _for a casual partner when he's the one looking for a commitment?  Youko is going to have fits_.

            "It wouldn't be fair to lead him on if I don't want him that way," Kagome shrugged, unaware of the private thoughts running through his head, or the rather sadistic glee growing with every word out of her mouth.  "And we haven't had a chance for more than a handful of 'dates,' not to mention how often they're chaperoned or interrupted.  We obviously know there's chemistry, but we need more time to get to know each other."

            _This obsession is never going to go away,_ Hiei bit down hard on his tongue as he started to plot the best way to casually reveal Kagome's thoughts to the kitsune.  _Gods, she really _is _going to be the perfect one for him_.  _She's beating him at his own game without even realizing that she's playing_.

            "-s why I want him to come with me," she continued on.  "It's a trip I have to make for a few reasons, even though I want to try and relax too.  But there's no way in hell Sesshoumaru will let me go alone.  Close confines is the best way to find out if we can stand each other's company over extended periods rather than just a few hours here and there that turn into making out like high-schoolers."  Her brow furrowed, "So long as he doesn't get called away, that is."  _Or I get called, for that matter_.

            "I can promise that I'll do everything in my power to see to it that you don't need to worry about that," Hiei offered with an enthusiasm that had Kagome eyeing him in surprise.  "I'll make sure that he's covered on our end."  _There is no way I'm passing up the chance to see him make an even bigger ass of himself than he already has by trying to get his way_.

            Kagome blinked and tilted her head, "You can do that?"

            "Absolutely," his chin turned up arrogantly.  "Unless it's an inescapable emergency, I can do that idiot kitsune's job just as well as he can."  _And with Koenma unable to direct us towards everything sparking his paranoia, our missions for Reikai have become more efficient lately_.

            The smile that earned him from the miko was absolutely dazzling, "Thank you.  I can't exactly complain about a 'drop everything and run' set of responsibilities when I'm in a pretty similar situation myself.  But it's still inconvenient for trying to feel out a relationship."

            "So I'm told," Hiei smirked.

            "Don't think I don't know that you're laughing your head off right now," Kagome slanted him a dry look.

            "Wouldn't dream of it."

            "I'm fluent in nuances of youkai expression, you know," her eyes flashed a brighter blue with her own lightening mood.  "Especially scowling.  Side-effect to spending a large portion of my life inside a taiyoukai like Sesshoumaru."

            "I thought it would have more to do with being able to get inside our heads," his eyebrow kicked up with a return of curiosity.  _Literally_.

            Kagome made a dismissive gesture with one hand, "I prefer giving you privacy in your thoughts unless it's necessary to make a connection, and normally I have to have some time of skin-to-skin contact to spill over a little.  You're the one with the head-trick specialty making the pathways more defined."

            "Good to know," Hiei shrugged, turning his senses inward to search out any obvious changes for a moment now that he'd been given a confirmation that she wasn't reading all of his thoughts.

            Kagome chuckled softly at the look of concentration on his face and reminded him, "I told you, Hiei, I can't alter what powers are already there.  I enhance them.  Rumors that the jewel giving its holders unimaginable gifts spread because of the way we bring latent abilities to light, little things they usually haven't even realized they have."

            "Does it remain?  Even after you're on your own like this," he made a motion to indicate her standing in front of him.

            "To some extent," Kagome folded her arms behind her head, leaning to stretch out her spine.  "If I think any of my carriers need help, I usually braid some of my hair into theirs.  It words the same way the shards did to connect us and boost their skills while I'm gone."

            "Shards?" _The legend mentioned shards too_.

            "I shattered it trying to retrieve it from a crow," her lip curled in distaste at the memory.  "Carrion bastard had stolen it and tried to make off with a child from our village.  Taking the time to save the boy made it impossible for us to do more than be sure it did not escape alive," her eyes flashed that same glossy metallic he was starting to recognize coming with the flares in her aura.  "That's when we realized we weren't strong enough, and took steps to correct that."

            _Youko will like that considering that mess with Karasu_, Hiei closed his eyes and drew in a slow breath when his blood warmed, the increase of youki coming more easily this time.  _This just keeps getting better and better_.

            "But that is all in the past.  Now we have the body and mind that we wanted," her fingers lowered to touch her throat as her gaze turned back to him in speculation.  "And we claim the youkai we want as our family, our guardians.  But you have your own mind just as we do, and if we're going to share more of this with you, you will have to stay."

            "That's as much as you can remove from me if I decide I don't want to be one of your carriers," Hiei guessed.

            Kagome blinked, eyes clearing slightly as she nodded in acknowledgement, "You're too proficient with mental manipulation for me to give you any more without some of it staying behind."

            "And if I decide to stay?"

            "Sesshoumaru will take over and tell you the rest," she chuckled at the annoyed frown that chased across his face hearing that.  "You would have to get used to speaking with him, Hiei, he's the head of the family.  Besides, he's careful not to kill family."  _Usually_.

            Hiei's brows drew together before he finally challenged, "I find it a little hard to believe that I'd be welcomed into your family so easily, miko.  Despite what you say, my experience-"

            "Has been solitary," she finished for him smoothly, but the look in her eyes displayed that she knew exactly what insecurities were tugging at the back of his thoughts.  "The fears you have are normal for any youkai like you, but until you see it for yourself, all I can tell you is that your blood and your upbringing don't matter.  I've never cared much for blood taboos, after all."

            He wasn't entirely sure what to say to that, tilting his head to one side as he regarded the miko's smile again, _Doesn't care for blood taboos?  She's a legendary "artifact" on her own and she's here offering me a home?  A place in her family?_

            "I won't make you choose right now if you think you need time to think about it," Kagome pushed herself away from the window and headed back towards the hall.  Pausing beside the diminutive youkai, she reached over and clasped his hand in hers, "This isn't a trick question, Hiei.  I've been honest in what I'm offering, and what it will cost you to say yes to me.  _I _choose who is worthy of taking such a high place in my family regardless of the feelings of others."

            Hiei clenched his jaw, staring straight ahead as she squeezed his hand once more before releasing him, _Worthy_…?

            Kagome turned her head to whisper closer to his ear, "You would always have a home here.  Remember that as you're making your decision."

            The warmth of youki seeped out of him with the same slow precision as it had increased in the first place as she pulled away, re-shielding her own aura in layers until that empty sensation around her returned.  The loss sent a chill down his spine, and it took a supreme force of will not to twist around and reach for Kagome in an effort to hold the warm peacefulness just a little longer.

            The strength of that desire was what helped Hiei control it in the end, but his head still turned to watch her covertly out of the corner of her eye as she stepped out into the hall, "Miko."

            Kagome paused, turning to look back at him, "Yes?"

            "If I were to say yes, and someone were to disagree with you, what would happen?" he kept his voice even, trying to hide the very real curiosity eating at him over the reasons she would offer such blind acceptance.

            Kagome's lips kicked up in a faint smirk, "It hasn't ever come up, but I suppose if someone were to take exception to my decision, they would be welcome to appeal to Sesshoumaru."

            Hiei blinked and couldn't stop the faint snicker escaping him at the thought.

            "If a youkai is good enough for Sesshoumaru and me, Hiei, the family welcomes them," her eyes flashed with silent laughter before the glow dulled back down to her more natural blue.  "They know you have your invitation, even Shippou."

            His brows rose, "Takashima hasn't protested?"

            "Shippou is a kitsune," she snorted a rolled her eyes.  "He _likes_ to complain about anything that he thinks takes attention away from him, but I can promise you that he would probably be the first one to defend you."

            Hiei knew his face reflected his disbelief.

            "Only if you weren't there to see it, of course," Kagome winked at him, giggling as she gave him a parting wave and disappeared.


	43. Divide and Falter

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Ahhhh, the joys of working in client-based environments (in other words, new clients or status changes translate into a sudden immediate need for full attention at irregular intervals). Hopefully the worst is past and I can return to having my morning or evening relatively free. LOL! –crosses fingers- Also! Going back through a few older chapters (thanks to my darling Kazusa and few sharp-eyed readers like CCT) and discovered some minor edits occurring thanks to the borrowed spellchecker I used in the beginning. –kisses repaired computer with correct entries enthusiastically- Not to mention a few "fingers functioning at twice the speed of brain" moments. -mutters to self irritablySo if a few chapter dates change, it means that the mistakes bothered me too much to let stand, and I fixed them. (BTW, that part you mentioned CCT, was a total brain-to-fingers moment, it's now fixed.)

-leans back and stretches to pop stubborn work-stiffness- Now then, I know I haven't been online much lately, and I sadly miss interacting with my chat buddies, but as ever… To all of you, my friends, junkies, reviewers, readers… You are all wonderful and I enjoy reading your thoughts more than I can say. Special thanks to those of you who have your eye out for mistakes I make when I'm in a hurry to post, or just plain spacing out. –super glomps and kisses- You make me feel so loved!

By Any Other Name 

:Divide and Falter: 

Shinju couldn't help but smile when he felt the familiar hand brush against his back, obediently shifting his stance against the doorway to the training hall to make room for his mother to oversee the class with him, "I assume it went well?"

"As well as I expected," Kagome nodded, reaching up to habitually brush his hair out of his eyes before leaning her shoulder against the vacated frame to find the amusing sight of Kurama demonstrating throws with the "help" of a loudly protesting Shippou. "It's so natural for him to control his youki against volatile spikes that he barely noticed the way he'd been adjusting to what I left behind. Not to mention they seem to like him, so they haven't been as harsh as they can be."

He nodded, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye to see the way her entire demeanor softened the longer she watched the grappling kitsunes, "You mentioned they like the powerful ones, and Shippou says the dragon attack Hiei used against the youkai and portal that day was highly impressive."

Kagome's lips quirked when Shippou twisted around to avoid a kick and used a move that was purely his own design to knock Kurama onto his back, "They liked the feel of it, and the sheer strength of the jyaki even without our amplification. It doesn't surprise me that they're eager to play nice with him so they can lock in that talent for themselves."

"Three moves and they're in a free-brawl," Shinju wagered without the slightest change of inflection for the shift in topics.

"I give it two," she folded her arms over her chest when the children seemed to come to a silent agreement that the instruction was about to turn into a much more interesting demonstration. They darted back to give the kitsunes more room as an affectionate smile crossed her lips at the way the students all piled together to have the best view. To the last one they were leaning forward eagerly and staying perfectly silent just in case a stray noise could put an end to the match, "Shippou's still bitter about what the roses did to his pants."

"And Kurama?" Shinju turned to her, folding his hands up into his sleeves as he bit back his own chuckle at the hush that had descended on his students.

Kagome pasted on an innocent expression, "What makes you think I would know why Kurama would be eager to fight with Shippou?"

"If you think making such a face will work on me, Kaa-san, you are expending far too much energy adjusting to that hybrid," he sent her an arch look, but his lips still twitched upwards in amusement. "I inherited that face."

Kagome smiled softly, reaching up to brush the back of her fingers across his cheek as she corrected in a whisper, "You inherited your father's version, Shinju, and it's better than mine ever was."

Shinju smiled, reaching up to clasp her hand, "Flattering me so blatantly by comparing me with my great _ancestor_ will not dissuade me from focusing on my answer as it would another of weaker bloodlines."

She had to bite back a laugh along with the urge to point out just how very much like Miroku he did sound at that moment, but in the end, kept it to herself. Shinju laced their fingers together, smiling gently when she gave him a squeeze, but allowed their joined hands fall back to a relaxed position between them, _I knew they would follow in his footsteps_. _So much of him is there, the way they move and speak_… _But they look at me through the eyes I gave them_.

Shaking off the sudden pang of melancholy that touched her heart, Kagome turned her gaze back in time to see Kurama catch the foot Shippou had aimed at his head and use it to send the younger kitsune flying as she answered, "I would say frustration, mostly. Shippou is close to me, and he has answers to questions Kurama doesn't even know to ask us."

The corner of Shinju's lips quirked up in wry amusement, opening his mouth to point out what she had left out of that observation when an unexpected voice beat him to it, "Kurama is still holding a grudge over the insults Takashima has inflicted on his 'perfect self' in their previous encounters. He is also jealous of his familiarity and reciprocated affection with you, miko, as you are well aware."

Shinju did let a full smile cross his face this time when he caught the pink darkening along her cheeks before glancing back out of the corner of his eye to find the hybrid. Hiei returned the look easily, lounging in one of his more casual stances against the wall behind them as Shinju effortlessly shifted to his "company" speech patterns, "I see… then they are eagerly fighting over Kagome-sama."

Hiei was unable to stop the smirk surfacing at the embarrassed scowl she shot at them for ignoring her attempts to avoid that issue. Deciding not to question how easily the lighter emotion came to him for now, or why he felt no need to quell it in front of these strangers, he shrugged and verified, "Exactly."

"Shippou isn't competition to Kurama," Kagome's eyebrow twitched at the amusement pouring off her tormentors, refusing to look at the feigned curiosity on their faces as Shippou recovered to all out tackle the older kitsune to the floor. "Two. I was right, Shinju-chan. And I'd consider having a relationship with Hojou before the thought of Shippou and I together even made it into my nightmares. Honestly."

Shinju released her hand when he felt Hiei's gaze drop to the obvious closeness between them, keeping his expression mild as he pretended not to see the real question passing through those claret eyes, "_Shippou_ is not above taunting your most ardent pursuer with threats of such a thing being possible, Kagome-sama, and he is hardly alone in that behavior. And a correction, that is their third move, so victory belongs to me," his voice took on a playful note with the ending taunt that had her bringing her elbow into his side.

"I'll make you go in there and split them up, don't think I won't," Kagome set one hand on her hip, eyebrow arching at the exaggerated innocence in the young monk's expression.

He pasted on his most scandalized expression, pressing a hand to his heart, "Kagome-sama! You would send such a humble monk as myself-?"

Hiei's snort interrupted the tirade before Kagome had more than opened her mouth, _Humble monk, my ass_.

Kagome blinked at the echo of that thought, brows lifting in surprise when Hiei blandly caught her gaze, _You_'_re including me on purpose?_

"Are you're really going to let those two idiots kill each other in front of a group of children after you were so adamant about preventing them from seeing Kurama kiss you?" Hiei ignored her question, focusing on the pair with ease as Shippou went crashing into the wall yet again.

Kagome stared at him another moment before turning to lightly rest the side of her head on the doorframe rather than show him the faint smile on her face as she let it slide, "They're here to learn to control their ki and to fight. It's more appropriate for them to see two powerful youkai having a controlled battle so that they have a mental rival or idol than it is to see me bent over a kitsune's arm."

It was Hiei's turn to look surprised, "You encourage them to form rivalries?"

"To an extent," she nodded, lowering her voice with a chuckle when a few of the parents made absent shushing motions to hear the insults snapping back and forth as quickly as the blows. "They're at the age where they see a youkai like Sesshoumaru, or Shippou, or Kurama, and they think that someday they want to be strong enough to beat them. It motivates them to be more focused in their studies for directing their own youki, but still respectful to their betters. They grow up, they grow out of it… or they choose to give in to the darker emotions. If they don't control their jyaki imbalance, and it's too dangerous for me to help purge out what has overcome their mind, Sesshoumaru takes them to Makai for a better lesson."

"We maintain our peace within the family very carefully," Shinju added, eyes twinkling when Kurama stiffened slightly. "As much as we wish it could all be easy and good, we must always be ready to defend against danger and corruption. We have too much to lose for anything less to be acceptable."

Kurama glanced their way for a split second, taking in Kagome's presence as a very faint touch of relaxation altered his stance. His eyes captured hers as the faintest smirk crossing his face before he countered Shippou's next jump with one of the very moves he'd been demonstrating to "his" students.

_Slick, Fox, very slick_, Hiei couldn't help but shake his head with a mental laugh at the sudden sounds of understanding from the enthralled audience.

Youko's snort was clear in his mind, a note of disapproval trying to be maintained over his obvious preening at the warm way Kagome was looking at them, '_Some helpful friend you are, hybrid_. _How long has she been there watching us?_'

_Long enough to bet how long it would take for you and Takashima to start rolling around like a pair of juveniles_, a particularly smug note crept into Hiei's own voice as he found the opening he wanted to really start pissing him off. _But if you're going to be such a bitch about my help, I'm not going to tell you what your _lover_ said to me about her feelings for you_.

Kagome winced when Kurama missed a block and ended up catching Shippou's foot full in the chest, but her lips parted in subconscious admiration when he recovered and corrected with an intricate twist. His hands snapped up to catch the younger kitsune's ankle, using his own momentum against him in yet another throw. Rather than sending him into the wall, Kurama kept his handhold and brought him to the floor, even dropping his knee down onto Shippou's back to pin him in place. The instant he was certain his weight was balanced, he snapped a dark scowl up at the smirking hybrid he could barely spot through the pair in the doorway.

_Goddammit, Hiei, I should drag your ass out here and show these runts what an apparition looks like being dragged upside-down and backwards through Makai briars!_ Kurama snarled at him furiously, openly allowing Youko to exert enough of himself through their body to heal the bruised ribs they'd just suffered. _If you're in that much of a hurry to die, you_-!

"You're on my _hair!_ Get off me, you fat piece of-!"

Kurama grabbed the back of Shippou's head and shoved it down against the mat to muffle the imaginative curses spilling out of his mouth before they taught the wide-eyed children a few new words, "Don't interrupt me so rudely."

"_ME?!_" Shippou worked his hands underneath him and snarled out, obstinately shoving upwards with enough strength that a hint of surprised admiration danced through Kurama's eyes. "_You're_ saying that to _me?_"

Kurama managed to spring back before Shippou succeeded in landing the kick he'd aimed up at his throat, smirking again as the smaller youkai righted himself with a particularly flashy spin, _Cocky little brat_. _But_…_ why isn_'_t she stopping us?_

'_She doesn't want to,_' Youko purred out smugly, losing the earlier frustration that had started the fight as he shifted his intentions into showing off for Kagome. '_You can feel her eyes on us_._ She wants to watch us, to test us_. _She won't step in unless we do something she doesn't like, so start paying attention_. _I'm not missing a chance to gain public admiration from my lover because your attention span has degenerated with that human side you cling to so completely_.'

_Do you actually try to be such an insulting bastard when you're annoyed with someone else or is it just an unfortunate side effect to growing up as a kitsune? _Kurama set his jaw to stop himself from outwardly showing his own rising irritation. _You know damn well that snapping at _me_ is_ _unproductive!_

Youko's chuckle slid over his senses like warm honey, bringing an almost imperceptible shiver running down his spine as he blended their youki more carefully together, '_Your fighting becomes more fluid when you_ _are agitated_… _more like it should when we are of one mind_. _You are more likely to stop separating this way_.'

Shippou pulled up short when the youki around Kurama spiked drastically, rolling out of the way just in time to miss a kick that could have possibly cause him enough of an injury to stop the fight cold, _Shit_. _He's _that_ kind of avatar?! _

"Shinju," Kagome murmured softly, waiting until the monk had dipped his head and entered the training hall before she slanted a questioning look to Hiei.

Although she had to admit she wasn't entirely surprised to see him shake his head in denial to the unspoken request, _You have your secrets from him, miko, and he has his secrets that he will tell you when he feels it's time. I won't take that decision from him when there is already so much he is unaware of_.

She nodded in acceptance, almost smiling at the way she could feel the edges of Hiei's surprise tickle her senses, _I can respect that_, _Hiei_.

His eyes narrowed on her, sweeping a quick search into her as much to test the words as to how much she would actually let him in. A flash of blue showed him she knew exactly what he was doing just before her eyes closed and the difficulty vanished, _Open_. _They don_'_t intend to force me out of information that I have?_

Folding her arms as she leaned her shoulder more comfortably against the doorframe, Kagome carefully filtered her own thoughts to keep him out of more sensitive material. Opening her eyes again when she had achieved a balance, unable to stop herself from admiring the focused intensity Kurama had directed towards Shippou's own taut form, _Gold_…_ his eyes change color with his youki, but why does it fluctuate so drastically? There's more under the surface, but what's shielding it? _

Giving up on those answers for the moment in favor of simply enjoying the warmth he seemed to bring to her soul just on sight, "Damn, but he's a beautiful youkai."

Shippou went rigid, and Kurama straightened, turning back to face her with brows lifting in curious inquiry.

Kagome's hand belatedly shot up to cover her mouth, gritting her teeth at the low chuckle behind her verifying just as clearly as the sudden attention that her observation had been more audible than she intended.

Shippou smacked a hand over his eyes, shaking his head as Kurama smiled warmly and let his eyes fade back to that rich -obviously smug- green, "Nee-san… is it really _that_ difficult to remember what I told you about talking to yourself in a room full of youkai when they're being _quiet?_"

Kagome had the urge to send out a wave of energy that would give them all a good jolt for their amusement at her expense, reluctantly holding back when the more rational side of her brain pointed out what a lousy idea that would be. _Great… I spent so much focus working with Hiei that not ten minutes back with the class and what's left of my brain took a vacation just long enough for me to stick my foot in my mouth_.

Shinju cleared his throat when he saw the way her shoulders stiffened at the "reassuring" pat she received from the vine around her throat, hurrying to step in before Kagome's rather legendary temper snapped, "Ah, Kurama-san! It is truly a gift from Buddha that you have come to our temple and displayed your skills for us so proficiently!"

Shippou's face wiped blank in an instant, disbelief practically radiating off him the longer he stared at the human boy, "What?"

'_A gift?_' Youko cocked his head to one side, dividing his attention between the cheerfully smiling monk and his blushing lover as he debated whether it was worth it to listen when he wanted nothing more than to capitalize on Kagome's declaration. Finally, he made an impatient sound in the back of his throat and ordered crisply, '_Make him hurry and spit it out, Kurama, I want to go kiss her before she's through being embarrassed_. _We can make her forget and tell us more about-_'

Shinju's snapped his arm around Shippou's shoulders and jerked him up against his side forcefully as he continued to speak in the same tone, "Indeed, we had been despairing over a way to gain the free time necessary to meet our latest deadline. With our duties to Sesshoumaru-sama, and my family's temple, having you fall into our laps- so to speak, is quite a relief."

"Deadline?" Kurama repeated in confusion, wincing at the identical, simultaneous response from Youko that overlapped in his mind with their shifting focus to the leading question.

"What deadline?" Kagome latched onto the change in topic gratefully, making her way to the snickering children in an effort to drown Hiei's laughter out of her mind. To say nothing of the more _adult_ remarks the waiting parents decided to indulge in just to see how dark her blush could get, _And here I thought they were against Kurama_. _Traitors_…_ only disapproving until he starts amusing them_.

Shippou winced, lifting his hand to nervously rub the back of his neck as realization drained the last of the aggression from his stance, "Ah… nothing really, Nee-san. But Shinju's right, we have a deadline to meet, and I completely forgot we had it coming up. It's just a side job."

Suspicion at the obvious hedging had Kagome folding her arms over her chest, but purposefully keeping Shinju between herself and Kurama when she saw the familiar gleam light those too-enticing eyes, "Gods, Shippou, don't you have enough to do for Sesshoumaru? How many jobs do you have?"

The very last of Youko's own dwindling anger faded away completely at the way Shippou backed away from her, shifting from foot to foot in obvious discomfort as he stammered to explain, "It's not serious or anything like that. I still would have told you about it, honest! But well… I was distracted," his shoulders slumped, giving her his most pathetic expression to convey the reasons behind the omission and stave off disapproval.

Kagome opened her mouth, closing it again when she realized she wasn't entirely sure what she had been intending to say or do. Shaking her head as she let out an exasperated sigh, she swatted him on the head and ruffled his hair, "We'll talk later, Shippou-chan. After Shinju tells me what in the world he's getting at by sweet-talking Kurama."

Shinju pasted on his most perfect expression of innocent surprise, "I'm wounded to think that you would accuse me of such things, Kagome-sama, especially when there is no need. Kurama-san already offered his services, I am merely accepting them."

Kurama was instantly on alert, far too reminded of the tone of voice they'd heard from Houshi-sama right before closing the trap around Koenma, "I haven't offered any services."

"Then you don't intend to honor your word?" again the young monk's face was a purely artful study of manipulation, casting his eyes down in a regretful manner. "I had hoped you the youkai setting his eyes on Kagome-sama would have been a truthful creature."

Kurama's eyes widened at the brazen insult, the suggestion that he would have made a promise and renege on it publicly, "I made no promises to you that give you the right to say such things about me."

'_How _dare _he say such untruthful things and try to turn it around to place the blame on our head!?_' Youko's eyes flashed through Kurama's, pushing through the control to make his growl of anger heard. '_That little fucking-!_'

"I'm afraid I heard quite clearly, with witnesses," Shinju held up his hand in a show for calm, tilting his chin down as he looked up at Kurama with a devious glint in those eyes. "You promised Kagome-sama that you would be the best temporary instructor we would employ."

Youko's tirade stopped dead in its tracks, turning a stunned look down on the human boy that echoed perfectly through Kurama, tilting his head as though Shinju had just turned into the oddest thing he'd ever seen, '_I don't believe it_.'

"You would break such a promise to the woman you are offering for?" Shinju pressed, winking through the stoic expression on his face as Shippou made a sort of choking sound and Kagome had turned away with her hand pressed to her mouth.

Kurama felt a laugh bubbling up through both of them, biting down on his tongue to quell it as he folding his arms over his chest with deliberate precision, _He just walked us into a corner with our own words, and Kagome helped him do it_.

'_Oh I do so love this little miko and the lines touched by that god,_' Youko was shaking his head, grinning widely in amusement as he flicked out his control to reach over Shinju's shoulder. Closing his fingers around the wrist Kagome had unwittingly brought into view, he sidestepped the monk and tugged her up to fit against his side all in one smooth motion. '_They're going to be sadly mistaken if they think I won't play this game with them, though_.'

_That _we_ won't play this game, Youko_, Kurama reminded him, curving his hand over Kagome's hip to make it more difficult for her to extricate herself without making yet another scene for her students.

'_Yes, yes, you know what I mean_,' Youko waved that aside, inhaling deeply and closing his eyes as he rubbed their cheek over her hair. '_This woman is not getting away from us, Kurama. Not when everything that she does only shows us how badly she should be at our side_.'

"Forgive my misunderstanding, Houshi," Kurama murmured in a slow drawl, opening his eyes a bare slit to send a fierce, glittering stare at the satisfied boy and the less than enthusiastic kitsune beside him. "It would be quite an honor to accept such a position within this prestigious dojo," his thumb made a lazy slide into the slits of Kagome's hakama, applying more pressure over the prominent bone of her hip and tracing the small space in a hidden caress.

Shinju's brows rose, his eyes reflecting wicked amusement despite the mild relief on his face, "What excellent news! By the time you have finished escorting Kagome-sama on her temple rounds in Shikoku, Shippou and I will have all the preparations completed for you to stand in over the adolescent students."

"Big Dog is never going to go for this," Shippou muttered just loud enough to reach Kurama's ears.

Shinju broke out in his carefree grin, waving his hand dismissively as he left Shippou standing alone, "Don't worry your pretty little empty kitsune head over such things. I'll speak with Sesshoumaru tonight at dinner and everything will work out, you'll see."

Shippou glared mulishly after the monk clapping his hands to get the students back on their feet, and rushing to give him a respectful bow before following his example to re-center their youki, "One of these days, I'm going to kick his smug ass halfway across Japan and back."

::………:: 

"I feel it's only fair to warn you that it's going to take more than lunch to make up for making me embarrass myself in class," Kagome was trying not to give in and forgive him so quickly, she really was.

Granted it would have been easier if she wasn't wearing Kurama's jacket, or if he hadn't been walking with his palm resting possessively on the small of her back. The open affection he was so willing to display despite the ever-curious public eyes following them was working against her the most. The way she could feel his fingers curl, or caught the threat in his eyes when he felt a less than innocent stare fall on her was giving her the urge to snuggle down against him and soak in the attention. But then he would figure out the easy ways to get under her temper, and she'd never win a disagreement with him again. So instead, she stuffed her hands down in her pockets, fighting against her own rather carnal urges as his hair brushed silkily over her bare arm on their path to what was rapidly becoming their usual restaurant.

"I mean that," Kagome poked him in the side when he didn't respond, forcing herself to return that hand to the safety of her pocket quickly when she felt just how solid he was underneath the button-down shirt. "Really."

'_If she doesn't stop that, I swear, I'm going to pick her up and kiss her silly right here on the street, Kurama,_' Youko warned him with a hint of a laugh threading into his voice. He put a little more pressure onto the hand at her back, curling it to give her a tug, and surprising them both with the strength of the warmth pouring through them when she obliged with a half step closer. 'I_ mean it, there's only so much I can take when I have the taste of her fading on my tongue_.'

My_ tongue,_ Kurama pointed out with a snort, but turned his head to look down at her determined expression with a carefully harmless smile as they paused to wait for the change of crossing lights. _She's very cute when she's trying to convince us she's still angry, isn_'_t she?_

Youko chuckled softly, tilting his head as he regarded her through heavy-lidded eyes, '_Very_. _It's just as fun as how she's pretending she didn't miss us when her body language is showing us a much more accurate picture of how she feels_. _I can't remember the last time I felt_-'

Kurama gave him a quick, internal prod, _Youko?_

'_Lost my train of thought_,' he returned flippantly. '_Kiss her_.'

He rolled his eyes, matching Kagome's unhurried across the street when the light changed, _You don't actually think you're fooling me_,_ do you?_

'_This is another of those things that we'll discuss at a later time_,' Youko's voice lowered, serious and implacable under Kurama's teasing. '_Not now_._ Now we are going to take our lover to lunch, find out more about our vacation, and pin her against the wall of whichever house we return her to_.'

"Are you all right?" Kagome's voice pulled them out of their discussion, bringing them back to their surroundings and making them aware they'd not only stopped walking, but Kagome seemed to have pulled them to one side. Blinking to banish the faint confusion at how that had all happened, he shifted their attention down to her face, and the emotion making the blue in those eyes seem to shine.

Youko drew in a deep, precise breath, obviously soaking in the concern she displayed all for them, just as she lifted on her toes to press the back of her hand against their forehead, '_Much better now_.'

"I missed you," Kurama covered for them with the change of topic, pulling his hand away from her back and lifting it to trail his fingertips over her cheek as his eyes warmed.

The bottom dropped out of Kagome's stomach, sinking back down to stand flat in front of him as his hand turned and cupped her cheek. His thumb lightly smoothed over her cheekbone, and Kagome reflexively closed her eyes against the way that simple comment with that caress so thoroughly banished all her stubborn irritation to the four winds, "Kurama…"

Youko couldn't resist sliding his arms around their soul, warmly purring over Kurama's senses in dark delight, '_She can't possibly know what she does to us when she says our name like that_. _You can taste it, can't you, Kurama? That need, that hunger that only we create in her, that only we can give her soul_.'

Kurama could feel the faintest hint of a point start digging into his lower lip as Youko's rising emotion spilled over, snapping to attention to push him back before more than his teeth suffered the effects, _Not here_. _Dammit, Youko, we can_'_t do this on the street in broad daylight!_

'_Oh bullshit,_' Youko snorted, sounding very close to pouting as he threaded their fingers into her hair to tilt her face up. '_Humans and their ridiculous inhibitions_; _tell me you actually _want_ to stop and I'll back off_…_ for the moment_.'

_You know I can't say that, but we _have _to_, Kurama tried to insist, perversely grateful that her eyes were closed against the indecision crossing his face. _At least when there are so many people around us_. _You get carried away_-

This time Youko's chuckle had a dangerous edge, sliding his arms down Kurama's as they blended, '_I promise to keep my hand out of her shirt so long as you stop being such a little prude and get us a kiss_.'

_One kiss_, Kurama ground out, trying and failing to be angry with Youko when he slid their other arm around her waist and took a step forward.

'_I say when_,' Youko stipulated as Kurama finally buckled under the temptation and dipped his head to close his mouth over hers.

It was possible -though admittedly not entirely likely- that Kagome could have stopped him from starting this in public again. Except that rather than the devouring kisses she grown accustomed to receiving from him, Kurama's lips were soft, moving across hers with languid confidence. The unexpected sensation went right past the resistance she'd had ready against him, drawing a shaky gasp from her as she stumbled back a step into the brick wall behind her.

Kurama didn't miss a beat following her back, tracing the tip of his tongue across her lower lip before catching in his teeth for a light nip as he felt a shiver run through her, _How does she taste better every time we do this?_

'_Don't ask pointless questions when we have much more important matters to attend to_,' Youko snorted with just a hint of annoyance for having to separate from the kiss enough to converse. '_I want to get her to take her hands out of her pockets and touch us back, and maybe make that little- ah_…_ that's the one_.'

Kagome's shaky, almost inaudible moan washed over his senses, tightening his hands slightly as he fought down Youko's efforts to take another step and pin her up against the wall, _Youko, just a kiss!_

'_This _is_ just a kiss_,' he retorted defensively. '_I can show you more since you seem to be so uncertain_.'

"Shuuichi?"

The effect of that single, startled gasp washed over them like ice as Kurama pulled away from Kagome and snapped around to locate the owner of that unmistakable voice. "Okaa-sama?" straightening away from the wall with a sense of spiraling doom, he tried not to openly show the borderline horror rising up at the thought of being caught in such a compromising position this way. _Shit_.

'_I'll agree with that_,' Youko rubbed his head, trying to let Kurama's discomfort over being caught by the human woman effect him. '_How did Shiori-kun know where to find you?_'

_You're expecting me to know?_ Kurama hissed out, swallowing hard as his mind raced to come up with a way out of this mess before it became worse than it already was. _She's supposed to be at home with her husband_,_ not walking around where she could run into us before Kagome_'_s promised to us!_

"When-?" Shiori was looking rather dazed, brows furrowed in worry and confusion over just what she was witnessing. Her eyes continuously darted from Kurama to the young girl with startlingly blue eyes before returning to her "son." Taking a subconscious step forward, and seeming at a complete loss for words until she finally asked, "Who is- who is this?"

_He called her mother? But she's not_… _Wait, Shippou said- then this is the mother of his new body? Here?_ Kagome waited until she was certain the woman's attention was back on Kurama before she slanted him a quick, demanding look. However, that faded almost instantly at seeing the flash of panic in his eyes, mingled with a slight, uncharacteristic fidget just before he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans to mask it. _He's nervous_. _Why would he be nervous to see his mother?_

Kurama sent a quick prayer heavenward in a hope that he wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of his life, grabbing Kagome by the waist and swinging her around to plant her firmly in front of him before she had a chance to protest, "Okaa-sama, this is my… this is Higurashi Kagome, my very special friend."

That introduction had brought his mother's full attention snapping up to his face, brows lifting for an entirely different reason as she repeated, "Very special _friend?_"

Rather than respond to that, Kurama's hands tightened on Kagome's waist as though half-afraid she would bolt and leave him to handle this alone, "Kagome-chan, this is my mother."

'_If our lover hurts you for this, you're taking full responsibility_,' Youko rolled his eyes, wincing at what he was more than willing to say was a bad gamble in forcing her into an awkward position.

"I wanted to introduce you, but-" Kurama broke off, wracking his brain for an explanation that wouldn't lose any ground with either side of the conversation.

'Full _responsibility, you jackass_.'

"But I've been out of the country for quite some time due to work, Minamino-san," Kagome stepped in, offering a respectful bow in apology for the "oversight." Clasping her hands together in front of her, she carefully pasted on an appropriately contrite expression, "I'm terribly sorry, but it's my fault Shuuichi-kun didn't speak of me. I wanted to wait until we could be introduced in person."

'_You have no idea how much I love this girl right now_.'

_Oh, trust me, I think I do_.

"Oh, but I'm not-" Shiori instinctively started to correct this polite girl about her remarriage and change of names, but the intended words faded away as realization started to sink in. _His special friend_… _Shuichi has _never _introduced a girl to me, and never calling her his- oh my_. She looked at her son's white-knuckled hands still holding Kagome close to him, up to the rueful, yet hopeful expression on his face as it fully clicked, _Oh my_…

"I'm afraid it won't be fancy, but would you join us for lunch?" Kagome pointed down the street to the café, drawing Shiori's attention away from them to follow the gesture long enough for her to grab the back of Kurama's head and smash his chin down on her shoulder. Turning to be sure her lips were right beside his ear, she whispered, "You _so _owe me," before letting him go.

Kurama nodded, pressing a kiss to her ear, "You are the most wonderful woman in the three worlds, Kagome."

'_You still have no possible idea_,' Youko grinned widely, delighting in the blush that spread across Kagome's cheeks under that heartfelt praise echoed through both of them. Unable to resist lightly rubbing his cheek against her as he returned to a more "proper" position, '_I would lay the world at her feet right now if she said the word_.'

_So would I_, Kurama felt the tension melt out of him when his mother nodded in agreement to the offer and looked at them again.

"One of my classmates from school is the manager," Kagome offered as an explanation for that choice, slipping out from under Kurama's hands, but not pulling away when he caught her own to lace their fingers together. "Why don't you take a moment here to catch up with Shuuichi-kun while I see about getting us a more private table?"

"That would be lovely, Kagome-chan," Shiori murmured, following the interactions between them with a growing sparkle in her dark eyes. "Thank you very much for the invitation."

Bowing again, Kagome glanced back to offer Kurama a reassuring smile when his fingers tightened on hers, "I'll say hello to Hojou-kun for you."

Kurama tried to hide his frown at that, more reluctant that ever to let her go as she started walking away. His fingers loosened, but he still couldn't stop himself from holding on until she was too far to reach, sliding his fingertips across hers in a subtle parting caress, _Damn_. _I forgot that boy worked there_.

'_Relax_,' Youko actually consoled him, giving him a patronizing pat on the head before lounging back in a particularly self-satisfied manner. '_He's ten times the human you are_.'

_How is that supposed to be reassuring?_ Kurama ground his teeth together at the reminder.

Youko sighed and gave him a swat upside the head enough to get his attention, '_That _means_ he wouldn't dream of something so scandalous as to try and embrace her in public the way we do. Besides, she told us he wasn't her type, and if he somehow changes and becomes interesting to her, we'll just kill him_.'

Kurama sighed as he watched her disappear through the distant door, not even bothering to scold Youko as he brought his focus back to his mother. Only to pull up short in confusion at the little knowing smile on her face, "Ah… I can explain."

"Oh?" Shiori's brows lifted, keeping her own expression mild with a supreme force of will at the delightful prospect of seeing her very-much grown up son squirming like a teenager again. Over a _girl_, no less, and a cute one who seemed to have a remarkable head on her shoulders if she was trusted with business abroad.

'_We've already started lying, might as well make this good,_' Youko folded his arms behind his head, amusing himself with the alternating mental images of how many ways he could kill a human, and just exactly how to handle the show of loyalty from Kagome.

"I'm sorry I haven't spoken of her before, but Kagome-chan and I have been… close friends for quite some time," Kurama clasped his hands behind his back, and mentally counted his blessings that Hiei had been more interested at the chance to spar with Shippou _and _Shinju than in following him. "I didn't want to give you a false impression if she decided to live away from Japan, or if our feelings changed while she was away."

"Does this mean your feelings are the same?" Shiori prodded for more information carefully, not wanting to get ahead of herself, but unable to rein in her imagination at the implied seriousness.

The evil part of his mind couldn't resist teasing the moment he saw the shielded laughter in her eyes, "There are things that have changed, Okaa-sama."

"Ah! Shuuichi, you terrible boy!" she cried out in mock chiding, slapping his wrist as her laughter finally bubbled over and escaped. "Don't tease your mother so cruelly, tell me the truth!"

He couldn't help but smile widely at that, chuckling with a sort of triumph at just how young Shiori looked in her excitement, practically bouncing in her eagerness to hear such good news about her baby, "I haven't asked yet, but I intend to begin a more serious relationship with Kagome now that she is here with me."

'_That almost feels like you're understating what our intentions are_,' Youko cocked his head to one side, turning it over in his head.

_Would you rather try explaining your way and tell her you want to lock her in a closet until you're positive she's fully devoted to us?_ Kurama just barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Shiori brought her hand up over her mouth.

'_It's more true than your way_,' Youko turned up his nose. '_The way you say it makes it seem as though there's still a chance we won't have her, and that's simply not true. Why not assure the darling woman that this is going to be a long-term lover for us, hn? Let her have her baby dreams more specifically now that she can see who will be giving them to us_.'

"When did you meet her, Shuuichi?" Shiori reached out and clasped one of his hands in both of hers. "How much younger than you is she? Have you met her family? Does she want a family-?"

"Please, please!" Kurama laughed a little harder this time, shaking his head as he gently patted his mother's hands with his free one. "You have to give me a chance to answer, Okaa-sama."

"You're right," she smiled at her own behavior, giving him a squeeze to keep him going. "Tell me all about her, Shuuichi."

_At least I can be somewhat honest about this_, Kurama sighed, staring down at their hands under the guise of reminiscing. "She's from a shrine family, and I saw her standing in the doorway of their temple. I felt… very drawn to her from the beginning, and the more we are together, the more I want her to be in my life."

'_I'm quite proud of you for making that sound romantic,_' Youko snickered.

_I refuse to let my mother think of me as some obsessed stalker chasing after a shrine miko_, Kurama countered irritably. _If I told her we wanted to consume everything about Kagome until her soul is safely in our hands, she'd have me committed_.

'_Point taken_,' Youko rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded. '_All right then, make it sappy_. _You're good at that_.'

Kurama gritted his teeth against the rather juvenile retort he wanted to make to that, instead trying to add to the effect of the story for his mother's benefit, "But she already accepted when I asked her if we could see each other exclusively."

"Have you met her father?" Shiori felt like she was going to burst, so excited about how very forthcoming he was about this sweet girl.

'_Worse_.'

Kurama snickered in his own mind at Youko's dramatic groan, "I've met her uncle, and her brothers. She's also met Yuusuke and my friends."

"Then her family likes you? Your friends like her?" she looked even more delighted by the prospect.

"My friends are all fond of her, and they agree I'm very lucky that she feels the same for me," Kurama hid a laugh at the double standards in that statement. "But the men in her family… most of them don't like me much."

Shiori looked dismayed, "But how could that be?"

'_She's so loyal to us_,' Youko smiled at the disbelief on her face.

"Kagome-chan is the only girl," Kurama expounded on that, letting Youko's smile echo through him when her eyes filled with understanding. "They are all very protective of her, and the tolerate me."

"_She_ likes you, though," Shiori reiterated that more for her own benefit than to reassure Kurama in his chosen pursuit. "Have you met her mother?"

"We thought it wouldn't be fair if her mother knew before you did since I'd already met a large portion of her family," Kurama covered smoothly.

She blinked and then smiled at the thoughtfulness of that, extricating her hands to fold her arms and give him her most motherly frown, "Well, now that I'm going to be meeting your special friend, I fully expect you to introduce yourself to her mother and announce your intentions."

"Of course, Okaa-sama," Kurama nodded, inwardly joining in with Youko's amused laughter.

"Are you living together yet?" she tilted her head to one side.

"Not yet," Youko took over to answer candidly before Kurama had a chance to act scandalized at the suggestion. "However, I hope to change that after our trip to Shikoku."

_Youko! Don't say such things to my mother!_ Kurama seethed, wrenching back his control.

'_Why not? Hell, Kurama, this body is what? Thirty-one? She asked, and it'll seem strange at this age if we don't have adult relationships_,' Youko defended crisply, turning his nose up arrogantly.

"Shikoku?" she asked curiously, shocking Kurama with how unfazed she seemed at hearing those kinds of plans.

Silently promising to get Youko back later, he nodded and explained, "Kagome-chan has duties that will take her to Shikoku for two weeks, and she asked me to come with her."

"And your workplace was understanding? Do you still work with Urameshi-san?" her brows raised, speculation and what Kurama could have sworn was plotting flashing through her eyes.

"Yes, although I've been asked to take a temporary position assisting with classes at Kagome-chan's temple," Kurama admitted with a faint smile. "The monk there is… very understanding to our situation."

Shiori seemed to digest that for a moment before giving him a sly smile and poking him in the stomach, "Should I be shopping yet?"

"Okaa-sama!" Kurama tried to sound shocked, but failed miserably under the laugh that had already snuck out. He settled for shaking his head and turning her around in a blatant suggestion to start walking towards the café, "I will give you plenty of warning for _that_."

'_I won't_,' Youko smirked, touching the tip of his tongue to one fang as he reveled in the way Kurama's depression was finally starting to seep away. The happiness and excitement making their mother's entire countenance radiate with the life they remembered so clearly from their earlier years. '_She'd be just as happy with knowing there was a baby coming with_…_ hell, what do humans say? With the wedding_,' he finished as the term came to him.

_That's really not the way people expect things to be done, Youko_, Kurama scolded. _Kagome knows we want to have children with her, but let my mother think we plan to be married before we plan to try_.

Shiori brought him out of his thoughts by patting him on the hand, looking very superior as she tilted her head to inform him quietly, "You know… things have a way of happening, Shuuichi. Especially between couples your age."

Kurama turned a startled look down at her, trying to ignore the burst of almost deafening laughter filling his head, "What?"

"I just want you to know, dear," she smiled brightly. "I won't think any less of either of you, and neither will the rest of the family. My goodness, your step-brother is going to be delighted!"

_Maybe Shinju is right_._ Maybe there really _is_ such a thing as kitsune overload_, Kurama remarked in concern as he listened to his mother go off into her own little world of red-haired, blue-eyed grandchildren.

'_Is it that hard to think that Shiori-kun can be open-minded about such things?_' Youko drawled out, still having some difficulty getting his amusement under control. '_She is still a woman after all, and she's had a baby so you know she understands the process_.'

_That's a picture I'd rather not have in my head_, Kurama growled back at him irritably.

'_Ch_._ Human mentality,_' Youko flicked a hand dismissively. '_Hopefully that will go away before you pass it on to our sons_.'

_I'm ignoring you_.

'_Ah! Then you admit I'm right!_'

_I can still tell Yuusuke embarrassing stories about you and Hiei_, Kurama set his jaw. _Don't think I won't do it_.

'_Go ahead, he'll attach it to your face and never let you live it down,_' Youko grinned malevolently. '_Face it, my threats are better_.'

_You're still the oldest child I've ever known, Youko_, Kurama took a deep breath, counting down to stop himself from letting his annoyance show. _Now stop it_. _We have to be on good behavior_, _and not _your_ version of it either_.

Youko scoffed at that, folding his arms over his chest, '_I'm insulted at the suggestion that I have no conception of appropriate behavior._'

_I fully recall what you tricked Kagome into doing the last time we were together at a restaurant, and that was with her family _and _our friends in attendance,_ Kurama reminded him pointedly.

'_You didn't like it?_' Youko pasted on his most innocent expression. '_Funny, you didn't complain_. _The way _I _remember, you even closed our legs so we could get her hand to-_'

_Dammit_,_ Youko!_

'_Yes?_'

_Behave_.

Youko heaved an exaggerated sigh, rolling over onto his back as he crossed his legs, '_I will if she does_.'

_You don't honestly think Kagome would-_? Kurama almost stopped walking, amazed that he would even suggest she would instigate that kind of challenge.

'_You never listen to me about her about important things like this, you know,_' Youko clucked his tongue in disapproval. '_Now I'm telling you, she's going to want revenge for that stunt you pulled in hauling her in front of your mother with no warning_.'

_You're trying to make me paranoid and it won't work, Youko_, Kurama frowned, hiding it from his mother under the guise of waiting for her to enter the café ahead of him.

'_Oh fine, fine_,' Youko shrugged nonchalantly. '_That just means you have to kiss my ass later when you find out I'm right about this too and ask for my help_.'

_And if you_'_re wrong?_

Youko pondered that for a moment before nodding curtly, '_If I'm wrong, I won't make any sexual remarks towards Hiei for a whole month_.'

A shiver of doubt went through him, pausing with his hand on the door as he weighed just how confident Youko would have to be to promise something like that, _Then what do you want if you're right?_

The smile that slowly spread across Youko's face was disturbingly sensual, dark, and more than a little wicked. Eyes flashing with promise, he moved to wind his arms sinuously around their soul and whisper in Kurama's ear, '_Then I get to play back_.'


	44. Two to Tango

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: -flops over and cradles coffee cup lovingly- Good gods, I'm stunned I got this thing put together after how busy we've been. I've been taking my work home nights and carrying on at odd hours to get everything done that I need to. Uck. Anyhow, since it's been so long, we should get in some fluff, yes?

For all of you who've stuck it out, thank you so very much for being patient! Everyone from FF.N and Mediaminer, your reviews and emails have been a great, GREAT stress relief in my attempts to take breathers. You're wonderful, and you've helped my sanity stay intact more than I can adequately show or say. Just… thank you, very much.

By Any Other Name

Two to Tango

"I must admit that the last person I expected to run into while I was here was my Shuuichi," Shiori smiled briefly up at the charming boy pouring her tea as she spoke. "And then to find he had such a pleasant surprise for me, well… It's all very overwhelming, but I couldn't be more excited. I hope you can forgive me for behaving so strangely earlier, Kagome-chan."

Kagome leaned forward slightly with every intent to respond when Houjo appeared at the table, turning over cups with practiced efficiency. He smiled shyly at the miko as he held up the steaming kettle in a speaking gesture, "A special blend, Higurashi. It's good for circulation and the immune system."

"Old habits, Houjo-kun?" Kagome couldn't resist teasing just to see the way the blush spread across his nose. Holding up her hand and giggling, she reassured him that she was only teasing, "I'm flattered you care so much for my continued health. It's very sweet of you, thank you."

Kurama hid an edged smile behind his hand when he noticed the way Shiori was now subtly inspecting this "Houjo-kun" who was behaving so familiarly with Kagome, _She doesn't seem to like him very much_.

'_It took you this long to introduce a single girl to her_,' Youko shrugged lazily, lounging back in their soul with half an ear out for any indication his lover was going to win him that bet. '_If "Houjo-kun" says one thing she translates as a threat to our success in making those babies she's imagining, I guarantee she'll figure out a way to lock him in the freezer_ _Or maybe it would be us in the freezer_ with_ Kagome?_ _Either way_. _Ooh, can't you just_-'

_No_.

'_You didn't even let me finish_,' Youko pouted.

_You don't have to_, Kurama leaned back in his chair, slanting a subtle look to Kagome as she reached up to accept her own drink.

"Please call for me if you need anything else, Higurashi," Houjo offered softly as he recovered from his minor embarrassment, blissfully unaware of the less than cordial thoughts towards his existence. He bowed politely to the table as he set down the kettle and stepped back, "I'm always glad to help out, and to see so much of you in a healthy condition is a very comforting experience."

"Of course, Houjo-kun, thank you again for being so accommodating," Kagome laughed and shook her head at the unchanged level of politeness in her classmate's speech. "I'm sorry to keep putting you out like this."

Houjo smiled widely, that faint blush returning across the bridge of his nose as he bowed again and hurried to insist, "Ah, no trouble, Higurashi, none at all! Anything for a friend!"

She couldn't help but shake her head as he hurried away to answer a call for his assistance, sighing in nostalgic amusement before she responded to Shiori's remarks, "You have nothing at all to be forgiven for, Minamino-san. I'm terribly sorry that you had to find out about Shuuichi and myself this way rather than with a more appropriate introduction."

Kurama used the excuse of correcting her to lean in close and murmur quietly in her ear, "My mother remarried, Kagome-_chan_, I'm sorry I forgot to mention it. Hatanaka-san is more appropriate now."

Kagome blinked and glanced over at him, leaning back to bring her hands to her lap, "How impolite of me not to ask."

'_Oooh__ ho… now she's angry_,' Youko winced, leaning back as his tail started to flick in agitation. '_Dammit, Kurama you're getting us into worse trouble when all she's done is help us out with this!_'

"I hope I haven't offended you," Kagome was offering an apologetic bow across the table, as she discreetly reached over and brought her hand to rest on Kurama's knee in deceptive affection. "Whenever Shuuichi-kun and I spoke, he called you Okaa-sama. I simply assumed the names were the same."

"Oh no, no, you haven't offended me in the slightest, Kagome-chan!" Shiori rushed to assure her when she recognized the interaction between them, the silent signs that her baby had just gotten himself in trouble. On one hand, she was delighted to see the two of them behaving so very much like a couple all ready, but on the other… _Ah, my poor Shuuichi seems to have still managed to hold onto that universal boy-thinking_, she smiled fondly at him when he shifted nervously on his chair and murmured something that she fervently hoped was an apology into his girlfriend's ear.

"I meant to have more time with you before I asked you to meet my human mother, Kagome," Kurama didn't even mind that Youko was spilling over, covering her hand with his in an effort to show his very real remorse and his desire to make amends. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

'_Promise something good_,' Youko insinuated their fingers into hers, squeezing her hand with a relieved sigh when she didn't pull away. '_If she's letting us hold her hand like this, then at least it's not completely unsalvageable_. _Oh! I know! Tell her she can be on top the first time!_'

Kurama would have dropped his head in his hands and cried right there if it had been a more private situation. As it was, he dropped his forehead against her hair for a brief moment and let out a pained sigh, _Youko_… _I swear to gods_…

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek to stop from chuckling at the discomfort the kitsune was practically radiating, not quite willing to let him see that her annoyance with him had been more of a passing thing. If his mother wasn't offended or embarrassed by Kagome's error, then she was willing to let the matter slide, but now... Well, after all, there was just something terribly endearing about seeing an ancient youkai like Kurama getting flustered all for the sake of pleasing his human mother, _I'm a terrible person for enjoying seeing him this way_.

Hiding a chuckle behind her hand, Shiori interrupted to bail her son out of the trouble he was in over his omission, "It really is all right. Shuuichi was in high-school by the time I remarried, and it's only a name, Kagome-chan. I am still myself and you are speaking to me with sincere emotions regardless of what you call me. Besides, I may be Hatanaka Shiori now, but I will still always be Minamino as well."

She _did_ laugh at the startled expressions that reassurance earned her from the pair, taking a quick sip of her tea to hide it and smother the urge to remark on how similar they looked at that moment. _It looks like my mother was right, no matter how you raise them, they always think you can't possibly understand them_. _Although, now I understand how she pulled the same trick with me_.

_That was… disturbingly appropriate for us_, Kurama blinked, leaning back in his chair as he regarded his mother in a carefully guarded, calculating manner.

'_No argument_,' Youko subconsciously tightened his hold on Kagome's hand. '_How did she know to say those words to us in this situation? She doesn't know about us or about our lover, but somehow she just offered us the best solution to how we can approach this_.'

_Explaining us to her?_ Kurama snuck a sideways look at the thoughtful expression slowly overtaking the surprise on Kagome's face. _Damn, I love those eyes_.

Youko smiled, chuckling softly as he brought their other hand down to glide a caress across her knuckles, '_I expect a very nice thank you for finding her, you know_. _But no, I meant about how to tell her that her former marriage is not an issue to us the way it might be to some pathetic human boy_. _Whatever she was, whoever she was before she met us, doesn't matter_. _She's ours for who she is to us, and the past only made her into the person we desire. We just have to make her see it that way_.'

Kurama felt a shiver run down his spine, hiding a frown at the intensity of Youko's voice, _Youko… how long has this been bothering you?_

'_It wasn't _bothering_ me, but I've been thinking about how we need to get her to open up about it since that wolf let it slip_,' Youko shrugged and brushed that bit of information aside as inconsequential. '_There isn't any room for mistakes in this matter, Kurama, not when we're speaking with her directly_. _If nothing else, she needs to understand that _I_ won't be influenced by such things_.'

_You really are obsessed with her_, Kurama murmured in disbelief. _What the fuck, Youko? I thought this was a game_ _to you_.

'_Oh it is a game,_' Youko purred back, undaunted by the accusation despite making sure that Kurama was aware of his displeasure at it. '_It's just become a very serious one that I decided I would play _with_ you instead of staying in the background_. _Kagome is going to be ours, but that doesn't mean I'm obsessed_. _I'm focused_.'

_Why did you pick now of all damn times to finally open up about this!?_ Kurama hissed out angrily, shaking his head to reassure Kagome when she sent him a concerned look. _I_'_ve been prodding you for weeks trying to get answers!_

'_When or where I decided to answer you doesn't matter_,' Youko returned, pushing his boundaries to lean closer to Kagome and draw that faint scent deep into his lungs. '_Just like names and history, and all this human bullshit doesn't matter_. _Shiori-kun is right_, _and I simply decided this was time you knew I won't let anything fuck this up_.'

Kagome felt the rising youki seep into her palm, warming her soul and parting her lips on a silent gasp at the bizarre way it went straight into her without the slightest encouragement. Biting down on her tongue to hold in a moan that would have been nothing short of humiliating in this situation, she gripped his hand hard to remind him of where they were and smiled at Shiori.

"You sounded very much like a very dear friend of mine, Minamino-kun," Kagome glanced furtively at Kurama again, debating with herself over whether or not she could soothe his youki without having a more direct connection. She finally shifted her weight to press her leg against his, bumping him with her knee to give him another point of focus as she continued. "It's just a name." _Or a title_… "And I'm glad that Shuuichi had such a wonderful mother to raise him and still take care of him now."

"Oh don't be silly, Shuuichi has been able to take care of himself without my help for a long time, Kagome-chan," Shiori waved her hand to brush off the compliment, but she was still smiling over it while her eyes lingered on the decreased space between them as though she could see right through the table. "I'm the one who should be telling you that I'm glad he's found such a sweet person who obviously makes him happy."

Kagome blushed and ducked her head, absently pushing her hair behind her ear with her free hand. She mentally crossed her fingers and hoped she wasn't about to admit something too serious for the human woman, "He is… someone special to me."

Shiori's brows lifted in surprise, feeling her lips twitch and try to spread into a delighted smile at such a blunt admission, _Someone__ special to her_.

Kurama and Youko had gone still, overly aware of the sounds around them in the café and the feel of every place their bodies touched. Kagome's pulse was beating steadily against their skin as their table's silence stretched on. He could feel his eyes trying to flash gold, taking a slow, deliberate breath against the rush of emotion making him burn from the inside out, _She said_-

'_She told Shiori-kun she has feelings for us,_' Youko flooded their soul, pulling and twisting in his effort to get loose enough to act on his instincts. '_She's human, she knows how that will sound, and she said it anyway!_'

_Easy!_ Kurama's teeth clenched so hard the muscle in his jaw spasmed. _Public, Youko, _public!_ We can_not_ up and change right here just because she's openly letting us deeper into her affections_.'

'_You are going to pick her up right now and carry her somewhere private, and I'm going to show her just how _special_ we're going to stay to her_,' Youko seethed against Kurama's stubborn control. '_Goddammit, Kurama, you are _not_ going to stop me from touching her when she says something so important! She just admitted that she thinks of us seriously too, and I'm not going to waste this chance to imprint on her soul!_'

_She might just be saying it for Okaa-sama's benefit, you impatient over-sexed bastard!_ Kurama shot back, straining against the older spirit as Youko leaned them over to whisper in her ear. _Stop it!_

'_No_.'

"You did _that_ on purpose, little lover," Youko accused her, pulling her hand up higher into their lap just in case she tried to take it away.

Kagome slanted a particularly sly look at him subtly beneath her lashes, but turned away to reach for her tea without answering him.

Kurama blinked at her in amazement, unable to stop himself from looking up at his mother as though she would hold the answer to the question he hadn't voiced. Unfortunately, Shiori seemed content to try hiding her giggling behind her cup, returning his gaze with one that clearly told him she was enjoying the sight of them together.

_Oh my gods,_ Kurama's brows lowered in frustration. _She _does_ know how we would want to react, and she knows we can't with our mother here_.

'_I told you she would want revenge,_' Youko snickered, preening over yet another successful prediction. '_How many times do I have to remind you that she and Shippou have a family bond? She knows our kind, and she knows how to get to us if she wants_.'

_Are they laughing at us?_ his mouth opened, closing again when an uncertain sound emerged against his will.

'_Ah… my sneaky, sneaky little miko lover_,' Youko was shaking his head, lips spreading in a smile that Kurama knew much better than to get on the wrong side of. '_I knew she was the playful sort_. _Then again_…_ I _did_ warn you she was too, and this little trick means I win. It's my turn now_.'

_Not in front of my mother!_ Kurama nearly panicked, reining him back in before the kitsune could let his aura expand. _No_, _Youko_. _You were right and she's starting it, but I'm not going to let you give us away in public like this_.

'_Did I say I would give us away?_' Youko arched one eyebrow, turning up his nose at the suggestion he'd have so little control. '_I just said I want to play, I never said I would let them see all of me for it_.'

_I forbid you from using this body to humiliate us in front of Okaa-sama_, Kurama ground out, turning to hide the way his eye twitched.

'_That's amusing… considering this body wouldn't exist if not for me_,' Youko smirked, wrapping his arms around their soul to tuck it closer to his own presence. '_I won, Kurama, fair and clear_. _Let me go to collect my prize or I won't take your feelings into consideration and I'll take over on my own_. _Your choice_.'

_You wouldn't_ _dare_.

'_I've been waiting a long time for a lover I can play with, Kurama, are you sure about that?_' Youko whispered back.

"What do you do for a living, Kagome-chan?" Shiori folded her hands together on the table, determined to find out as much about the woman she was absolutely certain was going to become her daughter-in-law. Her husband and step-son were going to insist on details the moment they heard Shuuichi had introduced her to a girl, "My son mentioned your family had a temple?"

"More than one, actually," Kagome nodded to show that was true and taking from Kurama's silence that he wanted her to indicate a serious relationship. "My mother and grandfather live in my own family's shrine, but my brothers and I are staying at our cousin's temple. Souta is training while I teach children's classes and help Shinju with temple duties."

Youko chuckled softly, bringing one hand up to drag his thumb over his bottom lip as Kurama struggled to think of ways to keep him at bay, '_Hear that? Two more down…_'

_What?_ Kurama frowned slightly in bemusement at the change of topic.

'_Cousins_,' he clarified with a snort of annoyance. '_Pay more attention, Kurama, you're going to hurt our reputation. That monk boy, Shinju, and Hitokaze are closely related to her_. _That means they aren't competition, they're potential allies_.'

_You're going to strut around in my head and preen for the rest of the day, aren't you?_ Kurama fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

'_I'll let you know after we've played with Kagome_,' Youko smirked, batting aside the last of Kurama's strained defenses to slip himself more firmly into the dominant position.

"Children?" Shiori visibly perked up, eyes sparkling as she sent Kurama a brief, searching looks.

"She's very good with them," Youko carefully made their expression more mild, giving Shiori a conspiratorial wink as he curled his fingers around Kagome's wrist. "A natural, I'd say."

_Youko, I'll find a way to kill you if it kills me_, Kurama gritted out when Kagome sent him an openly suspicious stare.

'_That sounds stupid, you know_,' Youko brushed him off, shifting his right leg to press more firmly against hers. '_Just watch, Shiori will think it's harmless flirting and our lover will realize she's playing against a master_.'

"You like children, Kagome-chan?" the question might have succeeded in sounding innocent if Shiori hadn't picked that moment to lean forward eagerly, giving away her hope for the answer with her eyes.

Kagome's mouth opened, slowly closing again as a faraway look crept through her eyes for just a moment. Her free hand moved subconsciously to fist loosely at her navel as she offered a faintly melancholy smile, "Very much, Minamino-kun."

Youko kept his hold on her wrist in his left hand, freeing the right to discreetly slide around her waist and tuck her against their side in an instinctive effort to soothe her, '_Now that makes me curious about that answer_.'

_Do you think she might have had a child?_ Kurama forgot all about fighting with Youko, curiosity sparking at the telling, protective gesture.

'_If she did, she doesn't now_,' Youko's eyes narrowed slightly, giving her a comforting squeeze and smiling happily when she let him pull her even closer. '_She would keep any children close to her, where she could fight for them if she had to_.If_ she lost a baby the same time as this Miroku person… dammit, we need to get her to open up to us about her dead husband_. _We can't fix it until she tells us what happened_.'

Fix_ it?_

'_Don't bother me, I'm busy thinking_,' Youko replied vaguely.

"I hear you invited Shuuichi with you on a vacation?" Shiori moved on, sitting back with a satisfied, even sly look after hearing such a favorable answer to help along her dreams for grandbabies. "Just the two of you?"

Kagome had to bite back a laugh, having a sudden flash of how interesting taking Kurama to meet her own mother was going to be, "My uncle will insist I have someone with me to keep me out of trouble. But Shuuichi and I need to have some… private time to ourselves, so I asked him to join me."

She could almost see the wheels turning in Shiori's head, the distracted nod as the older woman hid her mouth with her cup yet again while casting furtive glances at the casual display of public affection. _I guess mothers really are all alike_, Kagome bit down on her lip, taking comfort from the warmth wrapping itself around her soul the longer Kurama held onto her. _If he's her only child, then_… _He and I are going to have a talk after this_.

It was the foot hooking around her ankle that pulled Kagome out of her perusal, making her jump slightly and turn a startled look on Kurama. He continued to stare straight ahead at his mother, his voice practically dripping with innocence as he told her about the plan to visit Yoshimi-cho. All while he loosened his grip on her wrist to drag fingertips along her bare skin to the elbow, and his foot maneuvered to hold her leg in a fixed position.

"Are you all right, Kagome-chan?" Shiori's voice filled with very real concern at the sudden jump, frowning as she turned to look for the man who had served them. "Should I get-?

"No!" Kagome hurried to reassure her, sending a scowl full of promise at Kurama when the faint snicker reached her ears. "No, Minamino-kun, I'm fine. My foot was starting to fall asleep, that's all."

Youko dipped his head and snuck in a quick kiss to her cheek, murmuring quietly, "You were asking for it, honey. Don't think I won't take you up on the challenge."

Kagome glanced at Shiori to be certain she wasn't looking before she hissed back, "Who said it was a challenge?"

"Kitsune have a sense about these things," he nipped her ear, sitting up with an angelic expression when Shiori turned back around.

Kagome felt a tiny thrill snake down her spine in anticipation, her soul reacting to his voice just as much as the bite, _Oh now it's war_.

"Are you sure?" Shiori reached for her purse. "Are you feeling ill? I think I might have some medicine if you're in pain."

Kurama was suddenly grateful for Youko's position, safe to drop his head in his hands from his hidden spot within their soul at his mother's reaction, _She's acting like Kagome's going to have a heart attack in front of us_.

'_Stop acting like you aren't ecstatic about how much she likes our lover_,' Youko scolded in amusement, tensing slightly to hold Kagome in place when she tried to sneak her leg out from under his. '_I can feel it, Kurama_. _You're happy as hell and relaxing now that Shiori-kun obviously approves of her, and that Kagome likes her back_.'

Kurama sighed, propping his chin up in his palm as he nodded and admitted, _She__ just looks so excited to be meeting Kagome_.

'_Mmm_,' Youko made the noncommittal sound, much more focused on Kagome's efforts to stave off the maternal worry. '_Just imagine how excited she'll be when she can see our pretty miko rounding out with our baby_.'

The abrupt flash of images through their head at the wide assortment of ways Youko was turning over to accomplish that end had Kurama going still against under an almost violent jolt of lust. He couldn't help but shake his head, awestruck and fascinated that Youko could be thinking of such things to that level of detail while giving nothing away in their eyes or posture, _You__ have got to be the biggest pervert that ever existed_.

'Greatest_ pervert, get it right_,' Youko slid his thumb up under Kagome's shirt, drawing a line back and forth across the skin above her jeans.

_My mistake_, Kurama rolled his eyes.

Kagome slipped her hand out from under Kurama's hold, gripping his knee in warning as she laughed and promised, "It's really nothing. Please don't worry about something so silly, Minamino-kun."

"I'd hate to see you get ill for your vacation, Kagome-chan," Shiori reached out to pick up the kettle and refill her tea. "You should drink more tea, that young man said it was good for your health."

"Yes, Kagome, we can't have you getting ill for our trip," Youko turned his hand to slip it down past her waistband, letting the heavy curtain of his hair conceal the wicked smile flashing across his face when her eyes went wide.

_That's it, Fox, I didn't marry the greatest pervert who ever existed just to get one-upped in a restaurant by a kitsune wanting to be my lover_, Kagome felt her stomach tense and flutter under the fingertips playing over her hipbone.

_You're asking for it, Youko_, Kurama warned, frowning slightly as he tried in vain to settle their instincts back to a calmer level.

'_Stop being so para-whoa!_' Youko let out a startled yelp in the safety of their mind when Kagome's hand left their knee only to slip behind their chair and down the back of his pants as naturally as though she had done the exact same thing a million times. '_Holy Hells!_'

_We just… oh gods, we just got _groped!_ By a miko_, Kurama covered his mouth with one hand, unable to prevent the laughter that bubbled up out of him at seeing Youko surprised like that. _I don't believe it!_

Youko nearly growled, their eyes briefly flashing gold when she gave his a firm squeeze and retracted her hand as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, '_Now__ it's war_.'

"I don't get sick very often anymore," Kagome shrugged, doing her best to assuage the worry in Shiori's eyes while she was dying to laugh at the emotions pressing in at her aura. The shock from Kurama alone was enough to make her want to roll around on the floor giggling like an idiot, "Of course, that might just be my body building a self-defense given just how crazy my family goes if I'm out of commission."

"Shuuichi told me you're the only girl in your family?" Shiori let the health matter go reluctantly, moving on to other things she wanted to know about Kagome before she had to leave.

"I have a few cousins, but my immediate family? I'm the only one," Kagome nodded, absently rising up a fraction to readjust her position when the hand in her pants took advantage of the shift to slide around underneath her.

Youko met her look blandly, curling his fingers to give her an answering squeeze to show he was fully aware of the fact that she was sitting on his hand, "I told… Okaa-sama I had met your uncle and brothers when she asked about your family."

Determined to ignore the hand holding tightly to her backside, Kagome leaned more weight back onto it and cleared her throat, "Yes, he did. My father died when I was very young, so they're more involved with my life. They insisted on meeting Shuuichi when they found out we were... together."

Kurama tilted his head curiously, _Does__ she think that hurts?_

'_I doubt it,_' Youko chuckled, more delighted now that Kurama seemed to be getting pulled into their rising excitement and the instinctive urge to play. '_She's doing it for show, not for effect_. _She wants us to see that she's accepting our challenge_.'

"Then you're close with your family," Shiori smiled, inwardly breathing a relieved sigh that Shuuichi's girlfriend had such "old-fashioned" values. Not to mention they had both suffered the trauma of losing their fathers at a young age, _Someone__ who can be understanding with him and his problems_.

"Family is important, Minamino-kun," Kagome sipped at her tea, slanting Kurama a speaking look to show the intended double meaning. "You can tell a lot about someone just by the way they treat their family."

'_Ah, so that's why she's helping us_,' Youko pressed the heel of his hand more firmly against her, kneading the muscle under his hand just to feel the way she went stiff and then relaxed into him. '_We impressed her_.'

_That means she's forgiven us_, Kurama pointed out with a grin, sliding his arm down to blend with Youko and enjoy their actions more directly. _If she ever _was_ angry at us in the first place…__ I'm starting to wonder_.

'_She's a sneaky one, I wouldn't put it past her_,' Youko didn't sound the least bit bothered by that. '_Oh now this_- this_ is a damn fine ass_.'

_I should be grateful you're delegating those remarks to the "inside voice" category,_ Kurama sighed at the borderline crassness of the statement once Youko's fantasies were taken into consideration. _Slide your hand closer to us and down just a- oh, right there. That fits just right_,_ doesn't it?_

'_I'm so proud of you right now that I could cry,_' Youko sighed happily, using his thumb again to trace a slow caress back and forth down the curve of her pelvic bone while his fingers moved to cup her backside more securely.

Kagome had to catch herself before she moaned, something in the back of her mind wondering how difficult it would be to convince him to rub the soreness out of her shoulders later. Biting her lip and muttering to herself, _He would have to be just as good at touching as he is at kissing_.

Youko's chest expanded with his preening when Kagome tucked herself back into the cradle of his arm, unable to resist brushing his chin "accidentally" over her hair, "Kagome and I have spoken about what we think on that matter, Okaa-sama."

Shiori's eyes lit up just the way he'd anticipated, "I see."

_Now she's going to think we've already talked about having kids, Youko_, Kurama pointed out, twitching when he felt Kagome's left arm slide around their waist.

'_Yes, she is_,' he smirked easily. '_I'm fully aware of how Shiori-kun thinks, and it's not a lie to let her know we're planning to make a baby_. _Besides, isn't she the one you wanted to please when you started this whole mess in the first place? Kagome knows what we're doing and she's playing along, just relax and run with it_.'

_Speaking of that, _Kurama's voice took on a suspicious note, _what exactly do you thinks she's doing with-?_

Kagome slid her hand up under his shirt, smiling to herself when she felt the muscles beneath her fingers tense. Unable to restrain her curiosity in the face of the game she'd more or less started, she couldn't help but trace the lines of definition back and forth, "It's something we need to talk about again now that I'm home. A lot can change in your priorities after six years."

'_You wouldn't be too horrified if I picked her up and put her across the table for a real kiss right now, would you?_' Youko sounded hopeful, fingers twitching for just a moment until he exerted his control over their body's desires.

Kurama ignored him and gritted his teeth against the tightening heat pooling low in his stomach, well aware Youko's question had been mostly rhetorical, _Gods, I had no idea we were sensitive there_.

"Of course, Kagome-chan," Shiori's eyes filled with some distant memory, bringing a softer, nostalgic smile to her face until she shook it off with a laugh. "Things change when we grow up."

Kagome dipped her head to agree with that, pressing against his hip to slip that searching hand past his belt and down over bare skin as best she could, "At least I have Shuuichi to help remind me to make time for fun though, when he's not interrupting my classes."

"I wanted to surprise you," Youko turned up his nose and inserted just a touch of hurt into his voice for effect. '_We have to get her somewhere alone_.'

_There might be a back room, or a hall_, Kurama started, cutting himself off in disbelief when he realized he was actually encouraging Youko's impatience.

'_Why did you wear a belt today?_' Youko did let a soft growl escape his throat, giving her a squeeze when her stroke traveled as far as it could down the outside of his thigh.

_Because I had no idea we'd get the chance to have Kagome shoving her hands down our pants_, Kurama slid more of his influence into their soul to hold some of Youko's stronger instincts in check.

'_That's your problem, you don't plan ahead properly_.'

"You should have seen the mess he caused, Minamino-kun!" Kagome let out a dramatic sigh, lips twitching as she winked at the woman to include Shiori in teasing Kurama. "Especially now that I've recently accepted the Urameshi boys as students, and Shuuichi walked right into the middle of katas to give me a rose."

'_What a shame for our dear lover… she obviously wasn't thinking of how I could turn this back on her when she walked into this one,_' Youko clucked his tongue, sliding his hand out from under her thigh to curl it around her waist and tuck her back up against him. He took the opening to switch the discussion with a sly smirk, "Yuusuke's sons are certain that 'Sensei is marrying Uncle K-Shuuichi' now, Okaa-sama. It's all I hear about when I have dinner with them. They get sad when I don't bring Kagome-chan with me."

Shiori's eyes widened, lifting her hand to cover her mouth as she fought to keep her voice filled with only polite curiosity, "Oh?" _Married_…_ his friends want him to marry this girl as well!_

"Kagome-chan plays with them," Youko nodded as he expounded on the children's demands for her company. "She's willing to wrestle around in the dirt, she's not old and creepy, and they are quite fond of her stories."

_Okaa-sama is never going to let her get away from us if she can help it, you know_, Kurama had to admit there was something incredibly satisfying about watching his mother's approval visibly increase. _Not after hearing that_.

'_That, Kurama, is entirely the point_,' Youko returned smugly. '_We need to get our claws as deep into this soul as we can to be sure it doesn't slip away. And if Shiori-kun will help with that, I'm not above including her in the pursuit_.'

"You must be good with children if half the stories I've heard of Yuusuke's sons is true, Kagome-chan," Shiori felt like she was going to burst, looking back and forth between the two of them. Mentally crossing her fingers for the outcome of their 'vacation,' she waited until Kagome's attention was caught by the arrival of their food to send Kurama a stern, speaking look.

Youko chuckled to himself, nodding to show that he understood even as he lamented the retreat of Kagome's hands, '_Dammit all_, _couldn't he see we were busy?_'

_We ordered food, Youko, he's just doing his job_, Kurama sighed, giving her one last squeeze before he followed suit with the unspoken truce to break for lunch. _Don't give him any evil glares when he doesn't deserve it_.

'_The last thing on my mind at the moment is food_,' he purposefully made it more difficult for Kurama to direct their hands, taking a sadistic sort of satisfaction out of causing his counterpart that frustration.

_Youko_,_ behave dammit!_

'_I am!_' Youko's voice filled with innocence. '_After all, it's still my turn. I'm being very accommodating to let you muscle in on it_.'

Kurama rolled his eyes, but stopped to smile when Kagome tugged on her trapped ankle to "hint" she'd like it back. He shook his head, leaning close to her again to whisper out, "We're not done."

"We will be as soon as you admit I win," Kagome snapped her chopsticks apart to emphasize the point, sliding them together to smooth away any splinters. _What am I doing? Shouldn't I be trying to stop him from doing these things in public, not encouraging him?_ _Then_… _why does it feel so_-

Kurama's eyes flashed gold again before settling back to green, still shining brightly with his amusement, "Is that so?" _Maybe we aren't crossing the line with her after all_.

'_You can start that ass-kissing any time now_,' Youko couldn't resist taunting just to feel Kurama's annoyance. '_C'mon now, either start eating or back off of my turn_. _I want to see how long it takes before I can make her try to leave the table_.'

_Why would you want to make her leave?_ Kurama frowned at the contradicting goal.

'_So we can follow her to a more private setting, of course_,' Youko sighed, reaching for their chopsticks when Kurama seemed reluctant to trust his hands. He paused, eyes widening in mild surprise when Kagome took away his plate and filled it herself before passing it back. She didn't even seem to register what she had done, moving on to serve both Shiori and herself with that same practiced ease, '_If Shiori-kun wasn't here, I'd tell her how damn cute those little formal habits of hers are_. _I never thought I wouldn't have to train them into the lover we found, you know_. _Not with how much culture these humans have lost over the years_.'

_We'll have plenty of time for telling her things like that later_, _and maybe we'll even thank Sesshoumaru for insisting his family follow the old ways_, he smiled, reaching out to lightly touch her hand and draw her attention. "Thank you," Kurama slid his fingers down to the underside of her wrist, making the words of gratitude into a nearly devastating caress.

Kagome waved him aside quickly, but the light chuckle coming from behind her clearly indicated he'd seen her blushing already, _Somewhere Miroku is laughing at me for losing ground over such a simple touch, I can feel it_.

Youko lounged back at the outskirts of dominant control, watching the casual interaction between Shiori and Kagome as Kurama finally recovered enough to eat without making a fool of them in his excited state. From inside their mind, he crossed his legs in a decidedly elegant motion, resting his chin in his upraised palm as he kept their gaze resting on Kagome to file away every nuance of her body language.

'_She confuses me, you know,_' Youko admitted quietly after hungrily following her fingers when they slid back into her hair to tuck it behind her ear.

_Kagome?_ Kurama hesitated for just a moment before continuing to eat.

'_I always thought that a human who interacted with powerful youkai like Sesshoumaru on an intimate level wouldn't be able to relate to other humans so comfortably in this fashion_,' Youko tilted his head to the side as he regarded how easily his two important women were accepting each other. '_Either our lover is an excellent actress, or she has somehow done something that no humans have accomplished that I know of_.'

_Maybe that's the reason for all the secrecy_, Kurama offered. _She knows them when it's not like youkai can just announce themselves for what they really are and stroll around_. _Sesshoumaru wouldn't be willing to pass up on an ally like her_. _She might not think there's any reason to treat humans and youkai differently_._ Every time she's been with any of us, she doesn't seem effected by what we are_.

'_No, that's wrong_. _She's not unaffected,_' Youko disagreed, narrowing their eyes slightly as he studied Kagome's profile more critically. '_I'll have to watch her with other humans more than this to be sure, but look at her eyes_. _She almost looks sad even when she's laughing_.'

_She's still on guard, that's certain_, Kurama frowned, switching his chopsticks to his left hand in favor of bringing the right back down to rest on her thigh in a comforting gesture. _Doesn't she realize we_'_re alert for her? She can relax when she's with us_.

'_Habit_,' Youko extended his own influence to rouse the vine around her throat just enough for one tendril to split off and slip down her back beneath her shirt for a more complete albeit hidden embrace. '_She was more relaxed when she was playing with us, but this is an instinct we won't be able to train out of her_. _Still, I would like very much to know just why our lover has the behavior of someone who is expecting to be attacked at any moment_.'

_Filing things away for our vacation?_ Kurama sighed proudly to himself when Kagome's arm came around his waist again in a show of appreciation and acceptance.

'_Of course!__ How could you think I wouldn't have a plan for what I want to know by the time we return?_' Youko sounded offended at the thought of such gross lack of preparation. '_I want her to have told us about Miroku, and if his death was the result of an attack_. _It would explain why she is so constantly attentive even in safe-zones_.'

_That's not going to get her any more relaxed with us_, Kurama shook his head in disapproval over that plan. _I refuse to come back with more distance between us than when we leave_.

'_Won't happen,_' Youko denied the possibility. '_I'm only going to tell you this once before we go, Kurama_. _We are going to know Kagome intimately before the next two weeks are finished, and I won't accept anything holding me back from winning her soul, is that clear? I _will _have my lover where she belongs, and we will know her _much_ better than we do now_. _Inside and out_.'

"Relax," Kagome's arm tightened fractionally around his waist, chin lowering to hide her mouth as she murmured that suggestion too quietly for Shiori to overhear. "You're starting to growl, Kurama."

Kurama's mind snapped back to the present, meeting those amused blue eyes before sliding down to the empty plate in front of him, _How long did we-?_

"Don't worry, she didn't notice," Kagome gave him a nudge with her hip, smiling to herself when the confusion faded from his eyes. "Just come on down to mingle with the lowly humans for a bit more, hm? You might hurt your mother's feelings if you don't put on a good show."

Youko chuckled softly, slipping back into the forefront of their control to give her thigh a more meaningful squeeze, "Who's putting on a show?"

Kagome pinched his side and just couldn't resist digging a little deeper into his pride, "Who said this was real?"

Before he could recover enough to react to that, Kagome was standing and offering Shiori a shallow bow, "Excuse me, please, Minamino-kun. I'll return in just a moment."

'_She can't _possibly_ try to slip that past me!_' Youko let out a low growl, tensing with every intention of rising as well when her hand pressed down on his shoulder to hold him in place.

"I'm sure there are things you'd like to discuss with Shuuichi while I'm gone," Kagome flashed him a perfectly devious smile, winking at him and squeezing his shoulder in silent taunting.

Kurama flicked his fingers under the table, extending the vine beneath her shirt to curl up around her ribs and slide along the edge of her bra, _Don't__ you dare sneak away from us in such a high-handed manner, lover_.

'_Easy_… _Let her think she's more clever than us for the moment,_' Youko calmed slightly when Kagome nearly stumbled and shot them a warning frown. Chuckling softly, he blended his hand together with Kurama to curl their fingers just so as he winked back at her, '_The rose will tell us when she's alone_.'

"You missed her very much, didn't you, Shuuichi?" Shiori laughed quietly to herself and reached for the teapot.

"Am I that obvious?" Youko turned back to her with a dazzling smile, ignoring Kurama's hiss of protest. '_Quiet, it's still my turn, and I'm not going to screw up something as simple as making Shiori-kun aware of how serious we are regarding our lover_.'

"You seem to be on edge when she leaves," she made a faint gesture in the direction Kagome had gone. "And I saw the way you looked at that Houjo boy."

Youko sighed and leaned back in the chair, "I… will feel more comfortable after we've made our relationship more official. At least, I hope I will."

"More official?" Shiori arched an eyebrow.

"She makes me feel very possessive," he shook his head, bringing his hands up to rest on the table. "Not just that, though, Kagome makes me think and feel things that I had never thought possible." '_Not within a human body at any rate_.'

_Well aren't you just being a fountain of confessions to still say absolutely nothing,_ Kurama snorted, determined to kick at least one dent in the kitsune's insurmountable ego.

'_You're just annoyed with me because I didn't share this with you first_,' Youko snorted and chastised. '_Relax,__ Kurama, you and I will speak seriously on this soon_.'

_I'm holding you to that_.

"I've waited a long time to hear you tell me that," Shiori gave him a comforting pat when he reached for his own refilled tea. "But if you'd like to hear your mother's opinion? Maybe some advice?"

'_See?_' Youko drawled out smugly as he nodded to her. '_Shiori-kun now feels involved, doesn't that make you want to thank me? I picked Kagome out, and I'm the one who_-'

_Shut up_, _Youko_.

"I like the way she looks at you," Shiori gave him a serious look, folding her hands in her lap. "When she was speaking with that other boy, she was almost looking through him. But when she looks at you-" she trailed off, not certain how to put her thoughts into words. "I worried that with your looks, you would never find someone who loved you on the inside, even though you're such a sweet boy, Shuuichi."

Youko and Kurama stared in surprised silence, subconsciously motioning to urge her to continue, _How__ does Kagome look at us that Okaa-sama noticed and finds it so unique?_

'_I don't know, that's why I'm still _listening,' Youko swatted him back down for interrupting.

Shiori laughed at herself softly and shrugged, "Maybe I'm wrong, since I've only just met your girlfriend, but she doesn't seem like those girls that used to ask about you in school. She seems to look into you, and really care about your feelings. Or do you think I didn't notice you put the poor girl on the spot with that introduction?"

Kurama winced and pushed to answer that one, "I was expecting to have had time to speak with Kagome about our future before we told our families."

She waved that off dismissively, "Don't apologize, Shuuichi. It was a shock, but I understand. You've wanted to be certain that everything was perfect before you said anything to me about it since you were just a little boy."

"I didn't want to get your hopes up only to disappoint you if things worked out differently," he nervously ran a hand through his hair, frowning when he realized he had instinctively reached to his side as though Kagome was still beside him.

"Shuuichi, I'm your mother, and that means there is next to nothing you could do that would disappoint me," Shiori turned up her nose in a way that had Youko chuckling in genuine affection.

"Then you like Kagome?" Kurama knew he sounded hopeful, almost boyish again, but the sheer improbability of having found one girl that genuinely pleased not only himself _and_ Youko, but his mother as well was making this victory that much sweeter.

Shiori pretended to mull the question over, again using the guise of drinking her tea to hide the amused smile tugging at her lips when she caught the faint tightening around Kurama's mouth.

"Okaa-sama," Youko dragged out their voice in his most chastising manner despite all Kurama's protests when her muffled snicker slipped out.

"Oh come now, I can tease you if I want to," Shiori tried to sound offended, but ruined the effect when a more definite laugh snuck out. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you. Kagome-chan seems like an absolutely delightful girl, and I'm saying that because no matter how slick you think you are, Shuuichi, I saw all that whispering. You can be a bit… intense for people who don't know you, but you seem very relaxed with her."

'_She's speaking to you,_' Youko accused loftily. '_You're the one who's too stuck-up sometimes_.'

_This is coming from the kitsune who refuses to sleep on anything with a thread-count lower than three hundred_, Kurama rolled his eyes.

'_Our skin is sensitive_.'

"You've always been a serious boy," Shiori sighed with nostalgic affection, her eyes softening as she regarded him. "I hoped that when you found someone, you'd be able to have fun with them. She seems to bring out a more playful side of you."

'_She has no idea_,' Youko chuckled to himself.

"It's even better that she's from a nice family and seems very bright, but all I care about is that she makes you happy, Shuuichi," she leaned forward, determined to impress the importance of that on him.

Kurama was mildly surprise when Youko pulled him forward, blending them together smoothly to give her a reassuring smile and murmur, "Very happy, Okaa-sama."

_What was that for?_ Kurama frowned when Youko just as quickly shoved him back down.

'_Happy tears_,' Youko shrugged, straightening their spine when Shiori's eyes did indeed start to look suspiciously shiny. '_I wanted to see if we could make her feel good enough to cry_.'

"Why don't you go see what's keeping Kagome-chan, Shuuichi," Shiori blinked rapidly, trying to hold everything in when she felt like she was going to burst. Waving her hand at her son, she ducked her head to keep him from seeing her watering eyes and forced her voice to stay as light as she could manage, "You wouldn't want that other boy to try and catch her eye while you're here, would you?"

Kurama's expression mirrored his surprise for a moment before smoothing out in understanding. He nodded and rose to his feet, walking around the table to bend down and give her a kiss on the temple to cover his parting whisper, "Thank you for approving of the woman I intend to make my wife."

………

"No."

"I knew you were going to say that," Kagome sighed in frustration, checking to make sure she was alone in the back lounge before she tried again. "Look, Sesshoumaru, whatever it was can connect with me enough to speak to me from Makai. Don't you want to be sure?"

"Allowing you to traipse about Japan with nothing more than an avatar for protection is not acceptable," Sesshoumaru's voice drifted through the cell phone just as flat and implacable as ever. "He is unaware of the dangers that he would be forced to face if we are truly dealing with a youkai who was once a part of you."

Kagome raked a hand through her hair, "Kurama can take care of himself."

"His health is not the source of my concern."

_Great, just great_, she shook her head, taking a deep breath to calm herself when the vine responded to her agitation and "hugged" her.

"You are already aware that this Sesshoumaru would never trust a kitsune with no knowledge of your situation to provide your sole protection for a prolonged period of time," he scolded her calmly. "Any number of things could go wrong."

"You know where I need to go."

Silence met her declaration, but Kagome waited calmly through it for his response. Impatience in anything involving Sesshoumaru was the worst route to take under the best of circumstances, and this was anything but an ideal situation.

"You should not go without my presence, miko," Sesshoumaru finally replied, but she could tell from the soft sigh that he was still letting her state her case.

"I know, but if he's watching me, bringing you will just let whoever it is know what we're doing," Kagome shook her head, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. "Kurama's perfect. Not only is he an unfamiliar face, he has a fully human reputation, and every youkai any of the family has come in contact with knows he's presenting. Everything will look innocent."

Sesshoumaru sighed heavily, "An ancient kitsune within an avatar body who has declared to this Sesshoumaru that you are his lover is hardly an innocent companion."

"Shippou had a hell of a time holding him back on our property, in Shippou's element, and when Kurama was trying not to hurt him much," Kagome reminded him. "He's a strong youkai, and he's too determined to win me over to let anything happen to me when I'm with him."

"Selfish love, miko, you know where that has taken your soul in the past," Sesshoumaru warned.

Kagome's hand tightened on the phone, gritting her teeth against the sudden flood of old pain that snuck down her spine on the heels of that. She swallowed hard, bracing herself to push down the flashes of memory until she trusted her voice to stay even, "I know."

"Has the hybrid accepted you?"

A strained smile crossed her lips at the chance in topic, "Thanks, Sesshoumaru."

"It will be more appropriately handled this evening after dinner," he assured her briskly. "Now answer the question, miko."

"Hiei's deciding," Kagome absently brought her hand up to toy with the main portion of the vine still lying docile around her neck. "I don't think he'll take long to make up his mind, but I thought it would be a good idea to let him turn it over in his head rather than press for an immediate answer."

"How did he react to the information?" papers rustled in the background, and Kagome couldn't help but smile when she heard Shippou's unmistakable whine of protest over whatever he was being assigned.

"He was more surprised by being asked to join the family than he was by hearing about the jewel," she giggled when the vine retracted from around her ribs to twine about her fingers with a happier squeak. "I told you he would be confused, he's even more solitary than you were if that's possible."

"This Sesshoumaru chose to be isolated from others, miko, there is a very distinct difference."

"I know that," Kagome stuck her tongue out at the phone. "He's used to being shunned, and hated. If you hadn't held me for so long after he absorbed, it might not have been so smooth a transition." _And if Miroku hadn't come to me and handled the rest_…

"Don't think I'm unaware that you received a large infusion of holy energy at some point in time," Sesshoumaru's voice held a distinct note of disapproval. "The circumstances regarding your absorption of the hybrid are extenuating, but this Sesshoumaru will not look so kindly on any efforts to ride new creatures without advance knowledge. Holy or not."

"You would have felt if it was a new carrier," Kagome let her head rest on the wall again, curling her fingers and letting her ki spark lightly to play with the rose. "But it's sweet of you to worry."

"This Sesshoumaru-"

"--doesn't worry," Kagome finished, biting her lip to stop a giggle when she could practically taste the wave of irritation. _At least I can always count on Sesshoumaru to stay the same_.

"I can still clear my schedule and accompany you in place of the avatar," she could hear him smirk through the phone. "I'm sure you'll enjoy my presence just as thoroughly as you would enjoy his."

Kagome made a renewed effort to hide her laughter, "You really are a sadistic bastard, you know that right?"

"You selected me."

"Maybe I like sadistic bastards," she defended with feigned arrogance.

"There is no question in that statement, miko," Sesshoumaru snorted. "For a race of creatures that was known in my youth to be the bane of youkai existence, you have an uncommon affinity to our darker souls."

"You're more interesting, and more trustworthy than the ones who pretend to be nothing but good," Kagome tried to shrug it off, grateful he couldn't see the blush staining her cheeks. "I never have to wonder where I stand with you."

"That leaves this Sesshoumaru wondering over your fascination with kitsune," he drawled out, giving every indication that he knew exactly how embarrassed she was. "Youkai who are infamous for their trickery and lies are hardly as trustworthy as a taiyoukai like myself."

"They're very pretty though," Kagome turned up her nose.

Something that sounded suspiciously like 'good in bed' drifted through the receiver, immediately followed with a clear "OW!" and a suspicious thump.

_Ah Shippou, equal opportunity tormentor_, Kagome rolled her eyes. "Will it help if I remind you that I know when I'm being lied to? They're sneaky, sure, and they can be as evil as the best of us, but I have fun when I'm with him. It doesn't hurt as much when he's beside me."

Sesshoumaru was silent again, only the regular sounds of work and Shippou's muffled grumbling drifting across the line. When he spoke again, a heavy edge of distaste colored his tone, "Are you certain this is what you want to do, Kagome?"

Kagome pressed her hand to her heart when the heavy pulse rippled through her soul, taking a slow, precise breath to calm her aura, "No, but I learned a long time ago that what I want to do is different from what I have to do."

Sesshoumaru actually smiled, "There are times, miko, that this Sesshoumaru is reminded why you are so close an ally, regardless of what you have become."

Her lips slowly spread into a tender smile, "I love you too."

The rose at her throat made a grunt of protest, butting against her hand at hearing those words and drawing her gaze down, _Shit, is it telling Kurama what I'm saying?_

"We have discussed your habit of repeating things that are already understood," Sesshoumaru continued, undaunted by the recognizable sound. "When do you wish to leave?"

Cupping her fingers around the bud rising up to make it's scolding chittering sounds at her, Kagome pulled it back under the bulk of her hair to hide it and sternly limited what it could pass along, "Tomorrow if I can. I want to get this over with before something else happens, Sesshoumaru. I have to rule him out."

"Shinju tells me that you wish to gain my approval to take the avatar with you first as well?" Sesshoumaru's voice lifted in inquiry.

"I'd _like_ to hear you say you're giving me permission officially, but I'll take him with me anyway," Kagome smirked into the phone. "We don't have any privacy here to get to know each other better, and I'd like to have the chance."

"And if things get out of hand?"

"The worst thing that could possibly happen is that I sleep with him and decide not to keep him," Kagome shrugged that off. "He's a kitsune, Sesshoumaru, he'll move on without any trouble."

"Do not accept any proposals without consulting this Sesshoumaru," he ordered in a hard voice. "As you said, the avatar is a kitsune, and the likelihood that he is taking these interactions seriously is slim. But if _your_ emotions become too involved, miko, I will remove you from the situation."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

Kagome nodded, glancing around the deserted lounge sadly, "Yes, I do."

"Good," Sesshoumaru softened his tone, bringing a new smile to her face as she tried to guess whether Shippou had left or been knocked out. "The past will not be repeated, Kagome. If it comes to making a decision that involves such dangerous things, I will make it. The companionship your soul longs for is not worth risking a loss of yourself."

"I still want to try," she shook her head. "He… I want to know how much I really do like him, Sesshoumaru. I can't avoid things like this forever just because of what might happen or I'll never be able to keep myself under control."

"That's what you have this Sesshoumaru for," he didn't sound the least bit disturbed in the face of her fears. "You are _my_ partner first, miko. For that reason alone you should cease despairing over something so trivial as to whether or not an avatar is appealing enough to be your lover."

"Someday I want to have a family again, not just carriers, you know," Kagome reached out to idly finger the linen drapes blocking out the afternoon sun. "I can't picture you being overly enthusiastic about me wanting to have kids."

"You underestimate this Sesshoumaru's determination to protect this family if you think that, miko."

Kagome froze, eyes widening slightly under the implications of that, "I don't- Sesshoumaru?"

"We will discuss it if it becomes an issue," he answered simply. "For now, I will trust your judgment and the suggestion of your son to grant my permission for the avatar to act as your temporary guardian. With the stipulation that he be incapacitated immediately should things get out of hand."

"Done," Kagome promised, still astonished at the uncharacteristic promise he'd given before.

"Where are you? It's almost time to bring everyone to the compound for tonight," Sesshoumaru moved on with the same focused precision that had served to earn him his ruthless reputation.

"I'm- I'm at the café down from the temple," Kagome collected herself with effort, instinctively looking around the lounge again when she felt a faint tingle of ki as she offered that information. "Kurama's mother- his human mother ran into us. He introduced us, and it's the funny but her name's Shiori too. Granted it's going to be easy to remember, but it's hard to put it to another face than _our_ Shiori."

"You are rambling."

Kagome bit her lip, cursing in her own mind at his perceptiveness, "It felt strange to act so human. But… I could see when Kurama looked at her that he really does care about her, and I didn't want to embarrass him in front of her."

"You're still concerned your human interaction is lacking?" Sesshoumaru inquired in mild disapproval.

"Well it's not like I've ever had to meet someone's mother," Kagome pointed out. "Miroku didn't have any family beyond us, and well… I guess Mushin, and Hachi… but they hardly count. It matters to me if I disappoint her when he seemed so intent on impressing her."

"I highly doubt you could offend a human woman unless you were making a conscious effort to do so," Sesshoumaru inserted dryly. "You are forgetting how frequently we must discuss you habit of making friends without my consent."

Kagome giggled softly, lifting her hand to cover the sound and turning towards the window, "You're still bitter about not being a hermit in your old age, aren't you?"

"This Sesshoumaru is in his prime, miko, and if you continue to be so disrespectful, you will not be allowed to leave the compound for your trip south," he retorted without missing a beat.

"Bossy," Kagome teased, pushing aside the curtain to stare up at the sky longingly. "But I'll stop calling you old as long you stop saying I can't call you pretty."

"You are not in a position to negotiate."

"Shippou's back, isn't he?"

"_Dammit, did you have to get blood all over my shirt?!_"

Kagome rolled her eyes at the practically on-cue whine, "Tell him that I'm not going to protect him if he smarts off to you today. I'll be too busy planning to be away for two weeks."

"You'll be too busy soaking in enough of my youki to stay calm in the face of what you intend to do, miko," Sesshoumaru corrected her, pausing to growl something at Shippou that she didn't quite catch. "You are not going to be permitted to take such a risk unprepared."

"I wouldn't want to," Kagome let the curtain fall back into place, starting to push away from the wall only to stop short when familiar arms slid around her waist from behind and a warm rush of youki seeped into her soul. "I-I… will speak to you at home, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru let out a weary sigh, "Tell the avatar that these continued interruptions are beginning to annoy me."

Kurama's lips pressed against the back of her neck as Kagome swatted at his hip, "I'll tell him."

"I'll be sending Kaze with the car to bring you home from there, make sure the avatar knows that trying to detain you after I have grudgingly granted _his_ petition to guard you will be foolish," Sesshoumaru added in a particularly lofty tone. "This Sesshoumaru will not be pleased if this creature forces a more personal collection of you."

Kagome opened her mouth to answer when Kurama caught her wrist, tugging her hand away from her ear to raise the phone up to his own ear, "If you're so determined to cut our lunch with my mother short, Sesshoumaru, you'll understand if I hang up on you now."

"Don't push boundaries this Sesshoumaru has set for you," the taiyoukai growled out, dropping his voice to reach Kurama's ears alone. "My miko has argued in your favor for now, but your attitude will decide if that decision will stand through the night."

Youko chuckled, tightening his arm around Kagome's waist to tuck her back up against their body, "Perish the thought that I would endanger having so much private time with my lover."

"If she returns to me in poor condition, no amount of tails will save your soul from my retribution, kitsune," Sesshoumaru promised darkly. "You are still forbidden from revealing your other form to her. Doing such a thing would cause unnecessary troubles, and if you are unable to charm her with your human face then you do not deserve her company."

Kurama's eyes narrowed in distaste, "Don't concern yourself with my abilities, Sesshoumaru-_sama_, Kagome and I will be fine."

Kagome snatched the phone back and turned an exasperated frown up at Kurama as she hissed into it, "Can we save the pissing contest, please? Sesshoumaru, I'll talk to you about this more tonight, and I promise to leave as soon as Kaze gets here. Okay?"

"Do not be late, Kagome."

Sighing when the connection clicked off in her ear, Kagome absently slapped the phone shut and turned to face Kurama, "Was that really necessary? You know Sesshou-hey!"

Kurama swore Youko was humming in the back of their mind as he bent down, hooking his hands under her backside and lifting her up off her feet against his chest. He carried her back towards one of the bare, more secluded tables as calmly as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Behind the safety of the folding shoji screens, Kurama sat her on the edge as one hand moved to encourage the decorative vines to hide them from prying eyes. Pressing a hand down on either side of her hips and crowding in close enough that she was forced to keep her knees spread wide, Kurama smirked at her, "Yes."

"Kurama, your mother-!" Kagome tried to lean back when her senses tingled a warning under that hungry light in his eyes.

"Would be very upset with me if she knew you were declaring deep feelings for someone else," he cut her off, impatiently shoving Youko back when he felt the kitsune pouring more of his influence into them. _I can handle this, you know_.

'_Because you've done such an _excellent _job so far_,' Youko snorted. '_It's still my turn, and I'm not about to let that telling Sesshoumaru she loved him thing go_.'

"Dammit, it _was_ telling on me," Kagome muttered under her breath.

Kurama adjusted his position, bringing one hand to cup her chin and pull her forward until their mouths were nearly touching, "It was worried. Sesshoumaru is not so fond of its existence, you know. Besides, it's trying to protect you from making a terrible mistake. It knows that you don't belong with an inu, even if he is a taiyoukai."

"It's lucky he didn't take it apart for hissing at him," Kagome reminded him, arching an eyebrow at the change of tactics. "You're suddenly in a mood, Kurama, are you all right?"

Youko snickered and pressed his advantage, "My lover just made the most beautiful impression on the human I chose to give me this body. I'm feeling a need to show that lover just how much I adore her."

"And that involves a table?" she bit the inside of her cheek against the sudden urge to smile. _Why can't I resist teasing him like this? I know how he'll see it, but_… _Dammit_,_ am I really becoming so attached to him?_

Youko gave her lip a quick, careful nip just to jolt her, "Smartass."

Kagome giggled, trying to tug back out of his hold as she carefully schooled her expression into innocence, "You'd say something so disparaging about a miko? I'm shocked, Kurama! I would have thought you wanted to impress-"

Youko changed his hold to the back of her head, dragging her forward and closing his mouth over hers with a satisfied growl, '_The family resemblance is rather striking at times, isn't it?_'

_Hm_ Kurama's response was more than a little distracted, melting their souls together to more fully appreciate the way Kagome's lips parted to let them deepen the kiss. Sighing, he wrapped his other arm around her waist and stepped forward until they were pressed together as fully as that position allowed, _With__ who?_

'_Move the hand down and pull just a little- yes, just like that_,' Youko purred out when Kurama followed his direction to slide their hand down the back of her pants and grind her up against them. Completely forgetting his earlier remarks, he threaded the fingers of their other hand through her hair, clenching it into a fist, '_Sweet_. _The feel of her, the taste of this body and soul are so very sweet_.'

Kurama was already using his weight and hold on her to ease Kagome back on the empty table, slanting their lips across hers more intently when he felt her arms slide around his waist to pull him closer, _Stop tasting her ki_.

'_That would be like me telling you to stop squeezing her ass_,' Youko snorted dryly, easing away from her mouth to nip the corner of her jaw and down her throat. '_I'm only soaking in a very little_.'

Kagome made a soft sound in the back of her throat, letting him tug her head back to bare the line of her neck more completely. Grateful for his inattention, she felt safe to let her eyes flash under the steady glide of his aura along hers. Her back arched slightly, pressing her breasts against his chest when she felt her soul spark, greedily tugging at the power it could feel inside him, _Oh gods_… _I have to stop_. _I can't or I'll_-

Youko made sure she was lying comfortably on the table before easing their hand out of her pants in favor of palming a slow stroke down her thigh, "I still have to thank you."

"Thank me?" Kagome closed her eyes, swallowing hard as she expended precious focus on controlling herself.

"Shiori-kun is very happy to know that her son has met such a wonderful girl for a serious relationship," he smiled against her neck, ignoring Kurama's protest against the feel of their canines starting to sharpen. "A girl who looks past my pretty face, and brings out my playful side no less…"

"A rock could bring out your playful side, Kurama," Kagome's hands gripped his back convulsively when she felt his tongue trace over the inner edge of her clavicle.

"Mm, but a rock wouldn't taste as good as you do," Youko gave her a more chiding nip, but there was no real malice behind it. "And you shouldn't say such disparaging things about the lover you adore, Kagome. My senses are much too refined to find anything less than perfection acceptable."

_Good gods, you're a cocky bastard,_ Kurama rolled his eyes, but just as quickly lost that train of thought when Youko draped them down on top of her.

Kagome forced her ki to settle into a less revealing level before she opened her eyes and subconsciously shifted to rub against him, "Who said I adore you?"

She delighted in the play of muscle under her hands as Kurama raised his torso up enough to meet her gaze, biting her lip at the annoyed look on his face, "I can still lock you in a closet until you are ready to admit the truth, lover."

"A closet?" Kagome repeated in confusion. _When did he threaten to lock me in a closet?_

"You still won't tell me that you miss me when I've been gone," he slid his thumb over her cheekbone, distracting her with that caress rather than answer. "Even when I know you do."

Kagome turned her face into his hand slightly, missing the warmth that softened his eyes, "Sometimes I don't want to miss you."

"But not always?" Youko arched an eyebrow, much more interested in what she _wasn't _saying. '_You hear that, Kurama? She admitted that she's thinking of us, missing us when we're gone_.'

_She also said she doesn't want to_,_ and what the hell are you doing?_ Kurama tried to re-exert his dominance unsuccessfully. _Are we going to kiss her or are we just going to lie here and talk_, _hn_

'_She's a sensual woman who's starved for her lover's touch, just be patient_,' Youko scolded. '_It's so much better if you let them come to you in the beginning_.'

Kagome sighed, wrapping her arms around his back and tugging his down to embrace him before she whispered candidly in his ear, "I'm not sure I want to feel so strongly for you."

Youko smiled darkly from inside Kurama at the roundabout affirmation to his success in winning her desire, nuzzling her jaw again as he purred back in true predatory style, "Then let me convince you."

"On a table in a public restaurant, Fox? And here I thought your 'delicate sensibilities' would be offended by this kind of setting," Hiei's voice snapped Youko's attention up and around to the hybrid, scowling when he found him lounging in a chair lazily, smirking at his glare as though he'd been there watching all along.

Hiding his snarl, Youko abruptly retracted deep into their soul, shoving Kurama back into control to cover the way he instantly started to rant and fume about the interruption, '_Goddammit to fucking HELL, Hiei! You can OBVIOUSLY see what I was doing! What possessed you to come and-_?!'

_Warning you that the human boy is getting closer, or would you rather I stop you when you were in a more delicate position?_ Hiei drawled out, folding his arms over his chest as he watched Kurama shudder and slump half-dazed back down over Kagome.

"Are you all right?" Kagome's voice filled with concern at Kurama's abrupt change to boneless slump, tamping down her arousal to lift herself up enough that she could tilt his face up towards hers.

"I'm going to kill Hiei, but otherwise I'm as fine as can be expected," Kurama dropped his forehead down onto her chest with a light thump, only vaguely registering the softness of her breasts against his neck.

A rueful smile crossed her lips, sliding her hands into his hair as she tried not to snicker and tease him about pouting at his age, "It's for the best, Kurama. We can't just ignore your mother, you know."

"She'll understand."

Hiei chuckled, sharing a highly amused look with Kagome as he rolled to his feet, _You're behaving like a child_.

'_Do you have any idea how long it's been since we've had sex?_' Youko snapped back irritably, taking comfort in the warmth of Kagome's body so close to theirs and trying to distract his temper with her scent. '_Not to mention how long it's been since I've _wanted_ to have sex just as badly as Kurama does? With the same girl? And you're telling me I'm being childish? Fucking unbelievable.'_

"Come on," Kagome worked her hands down under him and sat up, mostly supporting him as he resisted until they were upright. She smoothed his hair into a less revealing state and did giggle slightly at his mulish expression, "Will you stop pouting if I told you Sesshoumaru agreed not to fight you about coming with me?"

'_Hmmph_.'

Kurama ignored him and sighed, catching her wrist to bring her palm to his mouth for a soft kiss as he took the peace-offering with as much grace as his aching body would allow, "I can control myself until we have more privacy, Kagome." _Although I might end up going insane and killing myself and I keep getting this excited and having to stop_.

Hiei innocently relayed the thought to Kagome, smirking behind Kurama's back as the miko obviously bit back a laugh and tried to look comforting for the kitsune's sake without giving away what she's been allowed to overhear, "We'll have time to see if we can get along while we're traveling, but we don't have a whole lot of it left until Kaze gets here, and we should spend it with your mother. She'll appreciate that."

_At least she's got a practical side_, Hiei prodded relentlessly at Youko, sadistically delighting in each twitch and snarl he could feel in his mind. _If you actually manage to impregnate her, there may be some hope that your children don't turn out stupid_.

'_My children will _NOT _turn out stupid!_' Youko hissed out furiously.

Kagome's hand touching the side of Kurama's face stopped Youko's temper in its tracks as she guided Kurama's face back and down to meet her for a soft, almost tender kiss. Kurama's eyes widened, flashing gold under the echoed surprise Youko washed through him, shocking them into stillness long enough for her to somehow slip around him to stand on her own.

His fingers lifted to their lips, the tip of his tongue sliding out to taste the lingering tingle her kiss had left behind, _That was_-

'_I want another_. Now.'

Kagome straightened her shirt, lifting her hands to comb her hair back into place when Kurama caught her wrist gently and lowered it back to her side. Curious at the strange gesture, she glanced back at him only to nearly fall over when he dipped his head and stole another kiss just as soft and unhurried as her own, trying to coax out a repeat of that drugging sensation.

_You do remember that you have an audience_,_ right?_ Hiei drawled out, giving him a hard mental nudge to remind him just where he was when the kiss showed renewed promise of getting out of hand.

Sighing regretfully, Kurama pulled away and laced their fingers together, not saying anything out loud as he turned and led her back towards the open dining area, _Soon_.

'_Damn straight_.'

Kagome was more concerned with taking a proper breath, staring in disbelief at Kurama and back around to Hiei as she struggled to collect her thoughts after her body's unexpected response to that kiss. More importantly, what it could mean that _he_ had been the instigator, and _he_ had been the one giving every indication that he wanted to feel more depth of emotion rather than just the physical aspects. Hopefully Shippou wouldn't be against giving her a crash course in how kitsune reacted to that kind of thing. If it was normal, that was one thing, but if not-

She mentally shook herself, trying to turn her thoughts around for a more innocent question to Hiei about his sudden appearance in the café. Whatever reason the hybrid had for coming here after Shippou had seemingly been summoned to work had to be less worrisome than wondering about the reason behind Kurama's altered kiss. Pushing it to the back of her mind, she slanted a look over to the silent hybrid, and just barely stopped herself from halting on the spot.

Hiei was wearing a kimono.


	45. Like Two Ships Passing

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Equal parts blessing and curse, getting sick that is… I've been able to work from home and that's given me a little more time to write this chapter than I expected, so it's coming out early. I really wish I had more time to go through and give better notes and thanks, but I'm _technically_ skimming my time just to finish out editing. (If there's an error or two, I'm sorry. Chalk it up to bad editing on my part.) But! The plot is trying to run away on its own, and the characters aren't stopping it. –mutters a few choice words- Important things coming up, you know…

Like I said, I really do wish I had more time to break up and individually thank all of you, but I just have to settle on blanket thanks. My chat buddies, junkies, reviewers, readers… you're wonderful, and I've gotten a few new ones who make sneaking on to share horrors and thoughts that much more fun. –winks- I really do love hearing from all of you, and thank you very much for sticking around for more.

By Any Other Name

Like Two Ships Passing

Kagome folded her arms behind her head and arched her back to stretch as she let out a sigh of relief for the end of one unexpected ordeal when the car pulled out of sight of the café, "Are we stopping at home, Kaze?"

His eyes met hers in the rear view mirror as Kaze shook his head, chuckling softly and reaching into the seat beside him, "Sesshoumaru-sama called for Shinju to take everyone to the main house shortly after classes dispersed for the day. I was instructed to bring you 'more proper attire' so you could change on the way."

Sighing reluctantly, she waited for them to stop at a red light before scooting forward enough to take the package off the passenger seat, "Because it's _so_ easy to change into Sesshoumaru's idea of proper attire in the back of a moving car."

Kaze's eyes were sparkling with amusement as he slanted her a smile and leaned imperceptibly closer to receive a kiss on the forehead, "After what you have been through in the past, Okaa-sama, I believe Sesshoumaru-sama believes you should have no difficulty in performing such menial tasks despite their level of awkwardness."

Kagome smiled and smoothed his hair back out of his eyes before dragging the large box back with her, "Can you put up the privacy window while I do this? I don't want to risk any sharp eyes from oncoming traffic getting a show."

"Of course," he dipped his head, reaching to the console above the stereo to press the automatic button as he turned his attention back to the road.

Kagome waited for the opaque shielding to raise and complete the tinted barrier between herself and the outside world, unbuttoning her shirt to let it fall down off her shoulders, "Let's see-"

"You seem very close with these boys."

"_GODS!_" Kagome twisted around and glared at Hiei, reflexively lifting her hands in a half-hearted effort to more adequately cover her state of undress. "Dammit, Hiei, I thought your aura was that close because you were going to ride on top of the car!"

Hiei arched an eyebrow, eyes never going below her face as he sat back more comfortably beside the door, _Wouldn't that look just a little too suspicious while we're downtown surrounded by humans?_

"Then why not ride up front with Kaze?" Kagome grumbled, pouting as she stubbornly turned away from the amused sparkle in his eyes. "You knew I had to change before we reached the compound, I know you were close enough to hear me tell him to raise the window."

He shrugged, _I don't know that human, and the windows here don't allow others to see inside_.

"Kaze's harmless," she shook her head, determined to recover from her embarrassing moment of inattention with one of her own carriers. "Besides, he wouldn't do anything to you. Turn your head since you obviously are determined to ride back here."

_The strength of his holy powers does not substantiate your word_, Hiei obediently turned his head aside when he saw her reach out for the box containing her attire for the evening. _Are you going to answer me?_

"About what?" Kagome pulled the white under-kimono out first, laying it out beside her on the seat as she toed off her shoes. Kicking them under the front seat to get them out of the way, she maneuvered herself up enough to unfasten and wriggle out of her jeans.

_The taijiya boys_, he repeated, mentally debating just how much trouble he would be in if he just-so-happened to accidentally pass along to Kurama where he was at the moment. _Why are you so friendly with them?_

"Shinju and Kaze?" she glanced at him in surprise as she wrestled to get the folds right and tie on the obi in a sitting position. "They're my cousins, direct descendants of the monk and taijiya involved with the Shikon-no-Tama originally."

Hiei could feel himself relax, a faint smile tugging at his lips at just how easily she was revealing the information he craved, "Whom did you descend from then?" _Maybe it really won't be difficult, joining a family_. _If it's like she said_- _I'm__ making the right decision_. _They're powerful, they follow the old rules_…

"Souta and I descend from the Sango's brother, Kohaku, and his wife, Rin," Kagome's fingers slowed, eyes taking on a far away, nostalgic look as she remembered the two of them and the stories Shippou had told her about their life. "Sesshoumaru and Shippou have watched over the lines through the centuries. Youkai and holy lines that consider each other family," she slanted him a knowing look. "Seems farfetched doesn't it?"

_It's never been done,_ Hiei frowned, jumping slightly when her hand brushed his shoulder.

"You can turn around now, I'm covered," she gestured to herself with a smile and went back to sorting through the multiple layers for the next kimono as soon as he had. "It _has_ been done for five hundred years as our records quite clearly show, and a number of the youkai in the family can remember. We were just careful not to draw attention to ourselves and cause problems. We like our peace and privacy."

Hiei leaned back against the door, tucking one knee up to his chest as he watched Kagome add layer upon layer with a sort of fascination. He'd never seen a woman dress herself in the formal robes, and watching the meticulous but practiced fluidity of Kagome's hands was almost hypnotic. Half of the time he found himself tilting his head, trying to guess what tied where and how before her actions showed if he had been correct. How she managed to get everything in place while sitting down in a moving car, he couldn't begin to comprehend, but it definitely proved their long-ago theory that she was comfortable wearing the formal kimonos often.

She was frowning at the final layer, a burgundy haori that tied in with the patterns he remembered from Sesshoumaru's clothing, when the rose at her throat let out a squeak of recognition and immediately slipped up into her hair to start twisting and tugging up through the strands. Amazed, Hiei watched it split and weave through Kagome's hair, braiding through the thick mass before gathering the full weight up in intricately crafted bun.

Noticing the look on the hybrid's face, Kagome chuckled and pointed up to her hair, "This little guy loves playing 'dress up,' although it really seems to have a hair fetish more than anything else."

"I can see that," Hiei arched an eyebrow at it when the bud reared up to view its handiwork, curving one way and another before settling down beside the complex bun in satisfaction.

"Can you hold this up for me?" Kagome finally made an impatient sound and held the haori out to him. "I can't get my sleeves to cooperate for some reason and I'm not in the mood to listen to Sesshoumaru scolding me that I don't look done."

Hiei mechanically took the material at the request, vaguely noting the crackle of youki against his skin as Kagome slipped one arm through and then half-turned for the other, _Armor? Are they always wearing clothing that would serve them in a fight? _Despite the stray observation, he was already manipulating the sleeves into place for her before he realized what he was doing and scowled as turned himself back to the conversation, _The taiyoukai doesn't strike me as the sort to be overly concerned with such things_.

"Usually he's not, but most of the family heads are coming tonight to see you formally accepted, so Sesshoumaru is insisting we set an example," Kagome tossed him a playful smile over her shoulder. "Might not want to brag about seeing me half-naked just yet though, could send the wrong impressions."

Hiei's eyes widened, automatically leaning back, _To__ see me? It's for-? How did you know I would say-?_

"That you would say yes?" Kagome finished for him, folding up her street clothes and stowing them in the kimono box. "Frankly, I didn't. Even if you said no, my boys -the others that is, needed to know what happened. But you popped up in the restaurant in a kimono when the rest of the family got called up to the big house, so…"

Hiei felt the corner of his lip curve up, _My__ answer was obvious_.

She nodded, half bending to trade out her socks for the traditional tabi, "I _do _learn a few things about a creature when I soak in their youki and roll around in their soul, you know. My carriers aren't strangers to me, and you won't be either. We might not have bonded completely yet, but it really doesn't take a genius to notice that you aren't enthusiastic about discussing your feelings. Have to watch for those other little tells to figure out what you're thinking."

Hiei snorted.

"See? I'm right," Kagome glanced at him before going back to searching the floor for the zouri she knew would be there. Letting out a triumphant sound when her fingers brushed the traditional sandals, she dragged them out in the open and stepped into them, "You and Sesshoumaru, I swear. The similarities are a little disturbing, but that might be why the souls took to you so quickly. You're their kind of bastard."

Something about that was strangely complimentary, and Hiei blinked as he tried to think of what exactly one said to a claim that hoards of mostly evil souls held in balance within a little human miko liked him.

"Hiei," Kagome's hand came to rest on his knee, sending a wave of that tingling warmth through him again. "I'm not going to tell you to trust us all instantly just because I jumped into you. You're the first youkai I've ever brought in who didn't know anything about us, or the jewel for that matter well in advance. This might be hard, or it might not be, but you aren't alone anymore."

Hiei stared at her, focusing all his senses inward at the spreading feeling of her aura soaking down into his own. Curiously he reached down, resting the tips of his fingers over the back of her hand and watching as the color in her skin slowly leeched away around each one. Tiny sparks of ki curled up around his wrist, jumping the gap between them like a static charge as the solid feel started to break down against his skin. When the last resistance faded, his fingers slowly sunk into her hand with the ease of dipping into a pond, dragging an involuntary sigh out of him at the answering flood of power.

Kagome's eyes lost the normal human dullness, glowing vivid blue as she let the tangled jyaki make its hesitant foray into the edges of her soul, "You see? Your soul is already remembering this feeling and growing calm. It gets easier the more you become balanced against me, not so much of a shock."

_It's_… _addictive_, Hiei grunted and forced himself to retract his hand before he got carried away. Curling it back to his chest in a slightly uncertain gesture, he absently lifted his other hand to try and massage the lingering tingle away.

"Yes, it is," Kagome flexed her hand as the skin seemed to ripple before fading back to its normal tone with a final pulse. "Most youkai either can't or won't recognize that until it's too late to save their minds. That's why I'm so picky about my carriers, and why Sesshoumaru is so important to me."

_And why you don't want Kurama to know this feeling_, Hiei observed shrewdly, smirking when her cheeks turned pink. However, he privately wondered just how difficult it was to be handicapped by such a thing for a human miko who obviously thrived off affection. The potential for youkai wanting to use her emotions against her in an effort to control the power of the Shikon-no-Tama was ridiculously high, and humans-? He shook his head in disgust at the thought, _No human I've ever encountered would ever be able to control this kind of energy_.

"It feels good to know that he's attracted to me without knowing what I can do beyond the miko thing," Kagome started to tuck her knee up to her chest in a mimic to his own position when she was starkly reminded that her multi-layered kimono wouldn't allow such a thing. She made a face at Hiei when she caught him snickering at her, "Cheater."

"You said Sesshoumaru would insist on a kimono, you never said I couldn't wear my pants under it," he shrugged, automatically reaching out to smooth out a wrinkle in her haori. Freezing when he realized what he'd done, Hiei jerked his hand back and shot her an accusing frown.

"Don't worry about it," Kagome waved off his actions calmly. "There's a connection," she raised her hand to graze a fingertip over the mark below his throat, "between us now. The feelings and lowering inhibitions you're experiencing won't extend beyond me, and you're only feeling so relaxed because of who you are to me. Sesshoumaru does it too."

Imagining the painfully arrogant taiyoukai reacting the same way in his situation had his frown smoothing out to a chuckle.

"Of course, he only _shows_ it when we're alone," Kagome corrected with a bright smile, turning to sit forward just as the car rolled to a stop, and the dividing window clicked. She waited until the tinted glass had lowered back down completely before nodding towards her son, "Kaze, you remember Hiei, don't you?"

"Of course, Kagome-sama," Kaze met her eyes in the mirror and smiled, gesturing with one hand towards the gate in front of them. "If you'd like to show Hiei-sama into the compound while I park the car?"

"We'll see you inside," she waited as Hiei got the hint and opened the door, watching as the hybrid stepped out into the unfamiliar section of woods and looked around to commit everything about it to memory.

Kagome closed the door, twisting around to make sure the hems of each kimono fell evenly and the obi was properly tied as Kaze turned to follow the gate back into the trees. Satisfied she would pass Sesshoumaru's inspection, she glanced at Hiei's expression and chuckled, "Feels different, doesn't it?"

_How do you block the taint of the humans like this?_ Hiei shook his head, staring from the ground up to the trees and back to the compound, soaking in the raw energy in the nature around them.

"You learn a trick or two when you're a creepy artifact like me," she winked at him, motioning for him to follow to the gate. "Just so you know, yes, you can fight Shippou without worrying about anything if he starts it. But Sesshoumaru gets annoyed when there's blood during dinner that he isn't responsible for. This _is_ a predominantly youkai family, Hiei. Be yourself."

Hiei felt his lips start to twitch up into a smirk, nodding as his hand came to rest comfortably on the hilt of his katana when Kagome pushed open a small door set into the wood and led him inside. __

………

"You're really serious about this?" Yuusuke stared in disbelief at Kurama as they watched over Ryou and Toushi practicing their lessons in the backyard. "Not just a sex thing? I mean, it ain't my business how long it's been, but you don't need to think of tying yourself down just to get laid when you've got that pretty-boy face."

'_Well, on one hand, we can always trust that Yuusuke to say it bluntly_,' Youko chuckled at the irritated expression that crossed Kurama's face in answer to his own enjoyment over the "advice" Yuusuke had to offer. '_Oh come on! It was crude, but it has a little truth to it_. _We were overdue for a lover_.'

"It's not _just_ a sex thing," Kurama emphasized, inwardly rolling his eyes at Youko's continued snickering.

"She's a miko," Yuusuke reminded him, leaning back to find his beer and take a leisurely drink before gesticulating with the bottle. "You said she's good, means she could roast your ass if you two ever fight."

Kurama smiled, turning to look at Yuusuke's sons, "Maybe… but don't you think that makes things more interesting?"

Yuusuke's brows lifted in surprise, following the kitsune's line of sight until the connection as to _why _Kurama's attention was straying in that direction clicked in his head. Startled, he sat up straighter and leaned forward to get a better view of Kurama's wistful expression, "Oi."

'_I think a boy first_…' Youko rubbed his chin thoughtfully, lounging back within their soul as he meticulously combed over his plans. '_Maybe with Kagome's eyes_; _kitsune blood could make those eyes deadly_.'

"Oi, Kurama," Yuusuke poked him in the shoulder, arching an eyebrow when Kurama finally responded, blinking away his distraction and turning his focus back to his friend.

"Sorry, what was that?" Kurama absently ran a hand though hair to smooth it back when a light breeze fanned it out around his shoulders.

Yuusuke's eyes narrowed, leaning forward and then side to side as though reading something in the kitsune's expression that only he could see. But just as Kurama was about to open his mouth and demand what on earth he thought he was doing, Yuusuke sat back and let out a low whistle, "I'll be damned."

'_The hell?_' Youko frowned, coming up out his pleasant fantasies reluctantly. '_What? What is he talking about, Kurama?_'

"You're serious," Yuusuke emphasized that more forcefully. "_That_ kind of serious… The human way?"

Kurama chuckled at the disbelief on Yuusuke's face as he realized what he was talking about, cocking his head to one side as he drawled out tauntingly, "Why?"

"Dammit, I deserve an answer!" Yuusuke slapped the grass in front of him and glared at Kurama. "We been friends too long for you to clam up and keep something like this a secret! You are, aren't you? That's why you were so fucking pissed at me for wanting to trade off being around her for what Takeharuka knew about that jewel thing!"

'_And here I thought I'd made that obvious enough already_,' Youko clucked his tongue.

"I don't believe it," Yuusuke was looking slightly dazed, covering his forehead with one hand as though checking himself for a non-existent fever. "_Why?_ What brought this on all of a sudden?"

'_All of a sudden?_' Youko snorted.

"I would have thought that you would understand, Yuusuke," Kurama pointedly ignored Youko's digs over just how long they'd been searching for someone acceptable to them. Shrugging carelessly, he turned to look back at the young boys when they took a pause in their training to wrestle around in the grass in a much less organized fashion, "I have been thinking about it for a little while now, but I hadn't met the right person."

"The dating," Yuusuke made a self-deprecating sound for his own inability to reason out that Kurama would have been doing something so… domestic. "You really _were _looking for a girlfriend, not just going out and having fun."

Kurama chuckled softly, "I was hoping for more than a girlfriend."

"Why Kagome? Did you know her before us?" Yuusuke made an expansive gesture with his beer. "Not that I'm not going to say she ain't something special! I mean, I think you're damn lucky if you win her away from that pretty bastard, but still-!"

"Kagome is special," he cut off the awkward rambling, sighing as he turned his face up to soak in the warmth of the dying sunlight.

'_And we decided we wanted her_,' Youko smirked, drawing in a deep breath to taste the ki around them and be sure none of the taint he'd worked so hard to purge had snuck back into it.

"She calms all of me," Kurama continued, debating what to tell Yuusuke and what to keep to himself.

Yuusuke was quite a moment, staring at him silently until a sly gleam entered his eyes, "She's pretty cute too."

Kurama slanted him a sideways glance, "Mm."

"Throw me a bone here, Kurama! You've _never_ shown any interest in girls before," Yuusuke slapped the ground between them for emphasis. "I was starting to think you liked guys and just didn't want to introduce us to your boyfriend."

Youko let out a long-suffering sigh, '_Humans, honestly, why must they think everything is so inflexible?_'

_If you think I'm going to try to explain kitsune sexuality to Yuusuke, you're sadly mistaken_, Kurama rolled his eyes.

"Can you actually get married? I mean, you'll outlive any human hands down because of Youko, won't you?" Yuusuke seemed more interested in working out the problems _he_ could figure out than getting answers to his earlier accusation. "Do you look like you age?"

"I can look like I have if I want to," Kurama dipped his head in acknowledgment to that. "And I do have a known human life, Yuusuke, I can do the same things any human can do."

'_We just do them better_.'

"What changed?" Yuusuke sighed, trying to restrain his curiosity. "And why didn't you tell us? Not like I wouldn't understand, you know?"

"I'm more accustomed to being a private person," Kurama brushed that aside easily.

"Then you _are_ planning to try the married thing?" Yuusuke pressed, setting down his beer and folding his arms over his chest to show his determination to find out what he wanted to know.

"Perhaps."

"With Kagome?" Yuusuke's jaw tightened in frustration.

_I should be ashamed of myself,_ Kurama hid a smirk behind his hand before schooling his expression back into mild innocence.

'_Why? This is fun_,' Youko grinned widely, prodding at him to continue tormenting their mostly human friend. __

"Well?"

"Perhaps."

Yuusuke muttered a few curses under his breath to keep his sons from overhearing and getting him in trouble before glaring at him, "Dammit, Kurama-!"

"I introduced her to my mother today, Yuusuke," Kurama interrupted to admit to that with a chuckle before the poor man gave himself a heart attack holding it in.

That unexpected announcement stopped Yuusuke's tempers dead in its tracks, brows lifting ever higher in surprise, "Your mother? No shit? When did she get into town?"

"It was unexpected, actually. She was passing through with her husband due to a business trip and didn't realize she was so close to your home," Kurama smiled at the memory of just how well the meeting with Shiori had gone, and the lingering image of the dazzling smile she'd given him as he'd walked her to the station to catch her train. "She says you're overdue for sending her new pictures of your boys, by the way."

Yuusuke winced slightly, rubbing the back of his head, "Been meaning to get around to that."

"Mm-hm," Kurama made the noncommittal sound, lips twitching in amusement at his friend's discomfiture. "Anyhow, Kagome invited her to lunch and I made sure my mother was aware of my intentions before she left."

"You're going to make me drag it out of you," he muttered in annoyance.

'_Did he think we'd make it easy?_' Youko tried to sound as offended as he could with his laughter disrupting the attempt. '_What else can we tell him to piss him off? Maybe we can get him to yell loud enough that he gets in trouble with Keiko_.'

_You just want to know that he's sleeping on the couch_, Kurama accused dryly.

'_If I'm not having fun with my lover after a day like this_, _I don't want anyone else having any either_,' Youko turned up his nose primly.

_Your selflessness is truly staggering, Youko_.

'_I can embarrass you within an inch of your life right now_,' Youko threatened in a smug growl. '_You don't have anywhere near my control_.'

"I can tell Keiko you told me you've already proposed," Yuusuke drained the last out of his bottle and set it up on the steps. "You invited yourself and Hiei into my house, Kurama, you owe me _something_."

Kurama tilted his head, pretending to mull it over before he let out a long-suffering sigh, "I suppose you're right."

"Damn right I am," he folded his arms over his chest.

"If you're going to be impolite about it, I'll leave you to your quiet family evening at home," Kurama shifted his weight as though planning to stand.

"Do it and I'll tell my boys you're dumping their most favorite sensei for their last babysitter," Yuusuke folded his arms behind his head and leaned back against the wall.

'_Ooh, that's a _good _one_,' Youko sat up with more interest. '_We're filing that one away to use when we have our own sons_.'

"That's a dirty trick, Yuusuke," Kurama made a tsking sound, but resumed his more relaxed position in the grass.

"Yeah well," Yuusuke smirked, patting down his sides until he remembered which pocket he'd put his cigars into, "we ain't made such a great team by following the rules."

"True enough," the kitsune traced his fingers absently over the grass, smiling softly as he encouraged it to cushion the roughhousing boys. "Let me ask you, Yuusuke… having this to come home to at night, after every mission… Why are you even asking me why I'm making the decision to start a relationship?"

"With a human? A miko?" Yuusuke's words were slightly distorted as he took the end of the cigar in his teeth and struck a match. "I knew Keiko my whole life before we got to where we are now, and being married is still hard sometimes."

"Kagome is already aware and accepting of my responsibilities," Kurama sighed and looked up at the sky again. "She knows I'm a kitsune, and my reputation, but it hasn't changed her feelings."  
"What about Youko?" Yuusuke's voice lowered respectfully over the seriousness in what Kurama was sharing with him.

"He's delighted, actually," Kurama couldn't help but chuckle, keeping Youko's drawled remarks over exactly _what_ he was feeling to himself. "Kagome is one of the only things we agree on."

"He's into-?"

"We agree," Kurama reiterated smoothly. "And Kagome knows that we would like to have children with her."

'_We _intend _to have children with her, get it right_. _Not to mention _technically_, I don't think you're moving quickly enough_,' Youko pointed out. '_If it was up to me, we'd already be sleeping together and_-'

"Fuck," Yuusuke murmured in a dazed sort of awe. "Kurama, this is _huge_. You're talking about starting a family?"

"I haven't made this decision lightly, Yuusuke, I know how important it is," Kurama glanced at him, eyes sparkling brightly in amusement.

"Does anyone else know?" he tapped his forgotten ash off into the grass.

"Hiei knows," Kurama nodded. "He thinks Kagome is out of my league, and he loves to hang around to tell me I'm going to get purified."

Yuusuke snorted, "Sounds about right."

"He'll be disappointed," Kurama assured him confidently. "That's actually the reason I wanted to speak with you before I left tonight. Kagome has invited me to take something of a vacation to get to know each other better. I'll be out of town for two weeks while we're in Shikoku."

"Shikoku?" Yuusuke nearly dropped his cigar. "Alone?"

"We _are _adults," Kurama smirked, pressing his palms flat on the ground to lever himself up and stand in a fluid motion.

Yuusuke's cheeks heated in minor embarrassment and he blustered to cover it, "Not _that_, jackass, I know you've done all that before. I just meant the holy vibe from all the shrines. Can you handle that?"

'_Aw, he's worried about us? I'm touched!_' Youko mocked lightly through the clear offense he took at being asked such a silly question.

_Calm down, Youko, he doesn't know how we work_, Kurama soothed the kitsune with practiced ease. "This body gives me a great deal of protection, but if an area has too strong a concentration of such magic, I'll be able to avoid it."

'_Kagome would help to buffer it too,_' Youko's attitude turned around completely at the mental images coming with that idea. '_She likes us, she wouldn't let something she has a handle over hurt us_.'

_Careful, Youko, you'll start sounding like a love-struck girlfriend_, Kurama taunted, chuckling to himself at the short, crude remarks Youko treated him to. Turning his attention back down to Yuusuke, he smiled faintly and made his excuses, "I'm sorry I won't be around much this evening, but I'm going to be preparing myself."

"Oi," Yuusuke's quiet call brought Kurama to a stop as the younger man sighed, looking back across the yard to his sons. He could understand, hearing it the way the kitsune had said and trying to imagine what his life would be like if he didn't have his family. He shook away the thought with a hint of self-disgust, propping his elbow up on his knee to rest his cheek on his palm. "You sure about her? About all this?"

Kurama smiled, sliding his hands down into his pockets as he cocked his head to one side, "You should be aware that I would have to have been sure before I began pursuing Kagome openly. I'm much too self-serving that way to lock myself into a situation I don't enjoy to the fullest."

'_That's about the rudest way you could have said that_,' Youko protested with a huff. '_If I was in a selfish mood, you would _know. _Frankly I'm insulted for both of us_.'

"Besides," Kurama continued, "I want more from Kagome than I have wanted from any other girl I've ever associated with."

Yuusuke's eyes widened, "You love her?"

Kurama shrugged, waving a hand to dismiss that notion while Youko snickered in the back of their mind, "I'm not certain it's that intense, what I feel. However, there is something… I need more time with her to find out what."

A smirk slowly took over Yuusuke's expression, widening steadily until it was joined by a chuckle, "I gotcha, more time."

'_He's laughing at us_,' Youko's brows drew together.

_Ignore it_, Kurama rolled his eyes and turned towards the street. "I'd appreciate it if all of you kept tabs on the Takeharuka clan while I'm away."

"Any of 'em in particular?" Yuusuke was enjoying himself immensely, barely stopping himself from digging out his phone and telling Keiko to come straight home. He could just imagine the accusations of acting like they were back in high school the longer he tried to hold in his snickering, but it was _Kurama_. Things like this just _never_ involved Kurama.

Kurama thought about the question a moment and came to a decision, "Kagome's brother, Souta. His training is not as advanced as the others, and she would be devastated if anything were to happen to him."

Yuusuke brought his hand up in front of his mouth to hide his grin, nodding in agreement as he tried to keep most of his laughter out of his voice, "Consider it a favor."

"Thank you," Kurama nodded, waving to Yuusuke's sons when they seemed to sense his impending departure and called a momentary truce. "I'll call you if I find out anything you need to know."

"In other words, don't hold my breath?" Yuusuke saluted him with the cigar, and turned to his boys. "Oi! Come say good-bye to your uncle and wish him luck getting Kagome to marry him!"

Kurama winced at the delighted shrieks that met Yuusuke's announcement, scowling down at him even as he held out his arms to catch the two boys leaping at him at high speeds, "That's low, Yuusuke."

Yuusuke winked, leaning back against the house with a laugh, "Practice for later."

'_If he thinks my sons will be anything like his, he's sadly mistaken_,' Youko turned up his nose arrogantly. '_Handling an infant kitsune is vastly different from handling a human_.'

_Oh hush, you like them and you know it_, Kurama shook his head, obediently crouching down when Ryou and Toushi started tugging at his clothes to get him down on their level. _And they think the world of us_.

'_Is that why we got upgraded to "Uncle" rather than nii-san?_' Youko chuckled slightly. '_They're hoping giving us a closer association will mean they have claim to her too?_'

"You're gonna marry Sensei and bring her to live with us, right?" Ryou folded his arms over his chest and focused his most determined frown on the amused kitsune. "Then Sensei can watch us on date night and no more of the creepy, stupid girls who won't play!"

_That answers that_, Kurama smiled, reaching out to ruffle his hair while Toushi latched onto his hip.

"Remind her that she can spend lots more time with us when she says yes," Toushi prodded him in an overly loud whisper, wrapping his hand in Kurama's hair to tug his head down.

"We're her favorites," Ryou nodded sagely.

Kurama tilted his head to take the pressure off his hair long enough to put a stop to the insistent yanking, laughing at that claim as he gently untangled Toushi's hand, "I'll remember to tell her, but I need my hair back, Toushi-chan."

Ryou swatted his brother, "Yeah, brat! How's he s'posed to marry Sensei with _you_ attached to his head?"

"Ow! Don't call me a brat!" Toushi forgot all about hanging on and tackled his brother to the ground. "Take that back!"

'_This looks like a good time to leave Yuusuke to it_,' Youko snickered, nudging at Kurama to get him moving back towards the fence. '_No one's going to be at the temple tonight, so let's go have a look around the grounds_. _I want to see what the plants around it have to say about my lover_.'

"Good luck, Yuusuke," Kurama offered him a mocking bow, smiling at the look on his friend's face as he rose up to stop his boys from getting too carried away. "Give my apologies to Keiko for not saying goodbye in person, but I have much to do before taking my vacation."

"Wait, Kurama, don't-!" Yuusuke levered himself up to his knees, hoisting Ryou up with one hand and turning around only to find the yard completely empty. "Dammit all to hell!"

………

Hiei let his gaze sweep around the crowded living area, leaning back against the wall to watch Kouga bodily lifting one of his wolves up off Shinju. The youkai lord was laughing richly at the boy's expense, shaking his head over the monk's loud protests over being the recipient of the massive animal's idea of affection.

The only thing that seemed to be stopping Sesshoumaru from stepping in and handling things his own way was Kagome's presence at his side. The miko was resting one hand lightly on his knee as she leaned up to whisper something in his ear, but the expression on the taiyoukai's face gave away nothing of their discussion. Hiei was mildly curious over what had them so engrossed, but it was easy ignore under the blatant affirmation of what Kagome had promised.

Not a single youkai had given off anything that remotely resembled a challenging or disapproving vibe when Kagome had introduced him. Sesshoumaru remained a silent presence close behind Kagome from the moment they stepped into the house, but again there was nothing openly threatening in his aura. Beyond what Kagome claimed was just his natural personality, that is.

In deference to his own discomfort with the situation, she had even made a point to bring Kouga and Shippou for their more formal introduction privately. Taking that time to explain the delicate situation with her human family's level of awareness, and requesting Hiei avoided telling Souta what he knew about what she'd become. The boy had some knowledge of things that had happened in the past and the more mild consequences of them, but Kagome wanted to protect him from the worst of things as long as she could. It had been an easy enough promise for him to give, being able to understand from his own experience the fierce need to defend his sister. But from the way she had continually leaned back into Sesshoumaru's body as she spoke, it was obvious to him that it hadn't been an easy decision for her to make.

Hiei's lips quirked up in amusement at the memory of the interaction between the taiyoukai and the miko. He was completely bemused that two of the creatures he'd known all his life to be bitter enemies had created this peaceful environment and a mutually respectful partnership. One that seemed to have begun during her previous life, and just as easily picked up right where they had left off when she was reborn. The very real affection and regard Kagome held for everyone in the family without a single thought to their blood was obvious to see, and Hiei found it easier than he thought to relax amongst them.

Particularly after "formal" dinner had degenerated into Shippou starting a friendly brawl with Kouga. He'd never seen anything more amusing than watching the two youkai bound around the tables while the rest of the family leaned back and lifted things out of the way with calm, practiced ease without so much as pausing in their meal. Even Kagome's little brother seemed unfazed for the most part, occasionally displaying his youth by calling out encouragement to the kitsune he felt a closer kinship to than the wolf.

One of the interactions that had intrigued Hiei the most was seeing just how attuned Kagome really was to the taiyoukai. So much that a faint shift and a glance had been enough for the miko to give a nod down the table that had Shinju and Kaze rising to intervene and restore order. It made him wonder what watching an attack strategy executed by Sesshoumaru and his family would look like…

"It's crazy isn't it?" Souta's voice pulled Hiei out of his introspection as the younger boy folded his hands behind his back and followed the hybrid's gaze around the room. "They've all been here as long as I've been alive and I had no idea."

"Hn," Hiei made the noncommittal sound vaguely, still mildly distracted sorting through his own observations.

"I figured you'd understand since you're new to all this too," Souta continued on easily, almost speaking more to himself than the youkai half-listening at his side. "My sister has been trying to explain everything to me, but it's hard to think about when my life has been so easy compared to hers. I mean… I saw the Nikuzuki no Men back when I was just a kid, but that's the only time I was in a 'fight' with a youkai. And it's nothing like the things Kagome fought before."

Hiei slanted a look at Souta, brows lifting as he redirected to a more direct path of information, "Nikuzuki no Men?"

"It wanted the jewel," Souta nodded, shuddering at the memory. "I was just a little kid then… scared the shit out of me. Kagome got hurt saving me, and if Inuyasha hadn't come when he did-"

Hiei's brows rose when the boy trailed off, shaking his head as though still haunted by the long-ago memory, "Sesshoumaru's half-brother?"

Souta nodded, "He protected her. It was amazing, what he did, and I used to wish I could be just like him. But, well, it's not like I can become a hanyou. Still, I knew that Kagome would come back when she could and I wanted to be a part of her life when she did, so I trained to be a monk, like Miroku."

_Her husband_, Hiei folded his arms over his chest and turned to look up at Souta to show the boy had his attention.

Souta gave a self-deprecating laugh and tossed an adoring glance back towards his sister, "Sorry, I'm bothering you, aren't I? You're at least a youkai, so this isn't as weird. I probably sound like an idiot."

Hiei was shaking his head in denial before he'd even registered the sudden unexplainable and completely uncharacteristic urge to reassure the boy, "No."

Souta blinked in surprise, eyes quickly searching Hiei's face for any hint of mockery before he smiled in relief and reflexively bowed, "Nee-san says I get carried away still, but I'm getting better. I worked hard, and she always includes me now. It's funny, I always dreamed…"

"Dreamed?" Hiei prodded, inwardly sighing as he decided he may as well hear whatever Souta had to say to the end.

Souta seemed to turn the thought of answering over in his mind before he looked up and met Hiei's gaze squarely to show he was being honest, "I always dreamed of being able to be someone important to my sister when she finally came home."

"Oi! Souta!" Shippou's voice pulled the boy's attention away just as Hiei's eyes widened. "Kagome's asking for you, runt, better get up there so she can say goodbye before that stupid redhead hauls her off for a while."

"I'm not a runt!" Souta protested, smacking the kitsune in the shoulder, but all the same he was already turning to obey. He paused at the last second and pivoted back to bow to Hiei, "It was really nice talking to you, Hiei-san. Welcome to the family."

Hiei nodded in response, following the boy's progress through the hall as he darted easily through the wolves to reach his sister's side. His expression never changed as he watched Kagome turn a bright smile up on the boy, laughing at something Hiei couldn't hear as she accepted Sesshoumaru's help up and led Souta towards the kitchen for privacy.

"I need to talk to you," Shippou lowered his voice dramatically, wanting to be certain the only one hearing the words was Hiei.

_Not interested_, Hiei schooled his expression back to bland indifference, finding the wolf lord again and frowning as he read the brute strength in that previously hidden aura.

"About Kurama."

Hiei went still; half-surprised Shippou hadn't issued some sort of challenge to his presence despite Kagome's assurances. On the other hand, what in the three worlds would the kitsune be asking him when it was obvious how much more familiar Shippou was with _why_ Kurama behaved the way he did.

"Look," Shippou reached out and gripped Hiei's shoulder, interrupting his thoughts and tightening his grip when the hybrid tensed, "this is important. I have to know in case this could cause problems for Kagome."

It was tempting to throw him off, possibly start a match with the overly arrogant brat right there just to see what Sesshoumaru and the others would do. But curiosity overrode that desire and he relaxed even as he shook off the clawed hand, _Why__ are you asking me? You're a kitsune_, _you know more about him than I do_.

"I know what any kitsune would know, but I don't know_ him_," Shippou muttered in denial, slanting a nervous look back to where Sesshoumaru seemed to be speaking with Shinju and Kaze. "How much do you know about avatars?"

Hiei arched an eyebrow, _Kitsune create them to hide their souls or some other such nonsense by taking over a human_,_ why?_

Shippou rolled his eyes, muttering a few choice words under his breath before he grabbed Hiei by the wrist and yanked him towards the shoji leading out onto the porch. "Nonsense… I'm insulted for every kitsune you've come in contact with, I really am. Do you have any idea how _hard _it can be to make an avatar just right?"

_Why would I care?_ Hiei scowled, jerking his arm back and stuffing his hands up into his sleeves as he walked in the indicated direction on his own. _It's a trick that _your _kind pulls, and they guard all the secrets of their techniques violently if necessary_.

"What kind of thief are you?" Shippou opened the shoji, glancing back to be certain Sesshoumaru was busy before he slipped outside with Hiei trailing right behind him. Sliding it closed silently, he sighed and hopped up onto the railing, "You should be leaping at the chance to get insider information on my kind."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Hiei shrugged, automatically expanding his senses to feel out all the auras around them for potential eavesdropping.

Shippou's jaw tightened, leaning back to brace himself on a support beam as he regarded the hybrid with glittering eyes, "How split is he?"

_Split_ Hiei tensed as he shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet, subtly altering his stance into a more defensive position.

"Ah, then I _was_ right," he smirked, folding his arms behind his head. "How complete is it? Do you have any idea how many tails he gave up when he took over the body?"

Hiei hopped up to crouch on the rail, staring intently at the kitsune as his hand habitually came to rest on the hilt of his sword, "What the hell do you mean?" _How complete? Is he talking about Youko and Kurama being in the same body? But they've never seen him_.

Shippou made an impatient sound, cocking his head to one side and shoving his hand into his hair, "I'm not an idiot, you know. I took imaging of him, so I thought I knew what was inside him, but then what I felt when we were sparring in the dojo… I didn't think any kitsune had been strong enough to pull that trick in centuries, but there was a completely separate feed in Kurama's energy. There's only _one_ thing I know that causes that kind of fluctuation without making an obvious signature in my pictures. So I'll ask you again, how complete is his split?"

Hiei set his jaw, eyes narrowing as he tried to dig a little deeper before showing his own hand when it was Kurama's right to explain, _I don't understand what you want_.

"Can he speak with the other aspect of his soul like it's another kitsune or does he just have the stronger portion of his power sealed deeper inside him?" Shippou shot him a dry look, dangling one leg off the edge of the rail and kicking it lazily back and forth.

Hiei's mouth opened and closed again as the implication behind that question really clicked, "It's normal?"

"Well it's not _easy _to create that kind of separation," Shippou wrinkled his nose, "but it's not exactly unheard of either. How do they do it? Are they a peaceful split or do they fight?"  
"Mostly peaceful," Hiei murmured, staring down at Shippou intently as he pondered just how much he could get out of him regarding Kurama's situation. _They argue_..._ but there's no maliciousness behind what they do to each other_.

Shippou shrugged carelessly, rubbing his chin as his eyes took on a slightly glazed look of contemplation, "Arguing just means they get along, it's not a bad thing especially if it's friendly. Damn, how strong is he?"

"I won't fight him," Hiei offered that indicator to Kurama's strength, waiting with guarded eagerness for more information.

"Has he always been a split soul?" Shippou glared at the shoji, setting his jaw against the potential complications flitting through his mind.

"I believe Youko was mostly sleeping until their body was sixteen," Hiei slowly sank down to sit on the rail, grateful all over again that he'd thought to wear his pants under the kimono for his own comfort. "The more time passes, he grows stronger and they both say their souls are blending back together."

"Good gods, I hope I never get that lonely," Shippou blew out a heavy sigh, clasping his hands together in his lap and shaking his head.

Hiei's brows shot up, _Lonely?_ _What_…_ the hell?_

"Heh, didn't know that did you?" Shippou slanted him an amused look before he turned to look up at the moon. "Why did you think we made avatars in the first place?"

_Kurama made it to hide in Ningenkai and recover from critical injuries_, Hiei frowned as he offered that piece of the story, trying to figure out what other reason there could possibly be for such a tactic.

"Might be why he decided he needed an avatar form, but it's not the reason he made himself the way he is now," the kitsune reached up and tugged the ribbon out of his hair, letting it all spill down around his shoulders with a smile. "He took a risk splitting himself the way he did."

_Why was it a risk?_ Hiei winced slightly, reaching up to cover the mark at his throat when it pulsed unexpectedly. _It's Shuuichi and Youko mixing together, and the stronger Youko gets, the less humanity Kurama retains_.

"Sesshoumaru just pulled her in," Shippou tapped his own throat to show he knew exactly what happened. "We can feel it whenever she jumps into anyone. But what you're thinking isn't right. There is no human soul inside Kurama's body."

Hiei's head snapped around, "What?"

"There never has been," Shippou combed his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes as he drew in the ki of the forest around the complex. "When we take over a human baby from inside the mother, the soul hasn't reached the body yet. It hasn't developed enough, so we take advantage of that and fill it ourselves. The _only_ soul that inhabits that form is Youko Kurama, or I would have had overlapping souls from him and 'Shuuichi' when I took my images."

Hiei leaned back, fully aware that his confusion and disbelief showed on his face, _That's__ impossible_. _I connect with Kurama's mind easily, and there are definitely two separate souls at work there_.

Shippou's lips pulled back in a smirk, dragging his hair forward over his shoulder and carelessly combing out sections to start braiding, "It's one hell of an illusion, isn't it?"

"Kurama has never used illusionary skills in front of us that would suggest he's capable of that level of deception," Hiei refuted. "There's no way he has that kind of control."

"Just because we don't openly use all our powers doesn't mean we haven't mastered them," Shippou winked.

The muscle in Hiei's jaw flexed and jumped under how hard he gritted his teeth, unable to refute the simple truth behind that statement, _Then_…_ what is he?_

"He's divided," Shippou's voice changed pitch, a seriousness that sent a tingle through Hiei's senses. "I can't pretend that I know why he decided to take that kind of risk with his soul, but he filtered his ki out selectively within the human body he took over. Shuuichi is just another piece of Youko's soul that he took out of himself and encouraged to develop with the characteristics _he_ wanted in a companion."

Hiei stared at Shippou, feeling the Jagan narrow behind his bandana to force its way into the kitsune's thoughts, "That's not possible."

Shippou arched an eyebrow, twisting around and raising his hand to press the tip of his finger to the bandana and open a more direct connection just to show he had no reason to lie, "Look. Kitsune are _nothing_ like any other youkai that exist and we do things differently. We need people around us who love us, family and friends that willingly give us the energy that we need to be healthy. If he thought he didn't have anyone, he might have thought he had nothing to lose in using his own soul to make a split consciousness inside his avatar body."

Hiei frowned, closing his eyes as he reached up and gripped Shippou's wrist to stop him from pulling away before he was finished locating the truth of that on his own, _How__ can you be so sure?_

"I'm old, and if there's anything our family is damn good at, it's knowing about the different things that can happen to a soul," Shippou's smile turned sad, carefully guarding portions of his thoughts from the invading jyaki. "Kurama's good, but after my experience with the Shikon-no-Tama, I can always tell when one of my own kind is manipulating himself. Not as well as Kagome can, but well…"

_She _is _the jewel_, Hiei finished.

"And she knows more about souls that even the strongest kitsune I've ever known," Shippou's chest puffed up in pride.

_What does she say about Kurama?_ Hiei sifted through Shippou's mind, soaking in everything he could find that the kitsune was willing to share about avatars.

"Nothing," he sighed uncertainly, "but she doesn't know he has another form either. The way he's made, she's only feeling one soul and since she likes Kurama, she's trying not to read into him deeply. She doesn't want him to know she can do that."

_And being an ancient kitsune, he would be able to tell right away_, Hiei slowly retracted from Shippou's mind, opening his eyes and releasing his wrist.

"Unless he was caught up in a moment and drawing out of her," Shippou wrinkled his nose. "Especially tasting Kagome's ki; her energy is… drugging."

_Why doesn't Kurama act like he knows he's just some twisted schizophrenic personality of one soul if everything you're saying about this is true?_ Hiei demanded, folding his arms over his chest. _He treats Youko as if he's completely separate_.

"As far as Kurama knows, he is," Shippou tied off the bottom of his braid calmly. "Youko probably has no reason to reabsorb that part of his soul if they like each other. He can access the entirety of his soul if he needs to, but as long as they're apart even some degree, he has company."

Hiei was silent, absently listening to the sounds of laughter and barking from the wolves in the house behind them as he turned over the information Shippou had given him access to. _Avatars_… _can't you kitsune have anything about yourselves that isn't convoluted as hell_.

"Sex."

Hiei rolled his eyes, _I spent far too much time listening to Youko try and seduce me to believe that_.

Shippou snickered into his hand, "Well, it's about as straightforward as we get. We're the most honest about it."

_Unfortunately_, Hiei sent him a glare to warn him away from the topic. _Now what about this could cause problems for Kagome?_

"What does Youko think of her?" Shippou let his head fall back to rest on the support again, watching Hiei with unblinking intensity through his lashes.

Hiei snorted, _Is that what you're worried about? She's practically the only thing they agree on_. _Youko's annoyed with Kurama for taking so long to convince her to love them_.'

His brows lowered, "_Love_ them? Are you sure about that?"

_Why? Isn't that normal kitsune ego?_ Hiei's eyes sparked in the darkness, unable to fully restrain his enjoyment at hearing such clear explanations after so many years of dealing with Youko's puzzles. _They want to be loved by the people they bring into relationships?_

"We don't generally _have_ relationships per say," Shippou made a dismissive gesture with one hand. "And yes, we like to be loved; it makes the energy in a creature's soul sweet to our senses. But that's not normal… to say it like that. Have they been pursuing anyone besides Kagome?"

_They dated, but they never liked the girls_, Hiei snickered at the fond memories he had of that time. _Kurama's standards clashed with Youko's, and they used to argue constantly about partners_. _Kurama didn't have sex enough to make Youko happy_.

Shippou blinked and chuckled, "That's funny. You'll have to tell me stories sometimes so I can tease him."

Hiei darted a sideways glance at the kitsune, lips tugging up slightly at the odd camaraderie he was feeling at the moment, _Maybe__ if you win a round or two against me in the dojo_.

"Deal," he grinned widely, fangs slashing in the darkness. "But unfortunately we still have serious matters for tonight, and I'm not looking forward to Sesshoumaru deciding to step into the middle of it while he's holding Kagome. You think he's evil on his own, you really don't want to see how bad he can be while he's carrying."

"I can imagine," Hiei had a sudden image of the taiyoukai under that same feeling of power he experienced every time Kagome had slipped her energy through his.

"Since Kagome, have they been looking around for a soul to feed off?" Shippou turned the discussion back around with that same quick-change focus that drove him so crazy when speaking with Youko.

Sighing in resignation at the thought of dealing with kitsune behavior for the rest of his existence, Hiei absently traced his fingertip around the humming symbol at his throat as he answered. _No, they haven't_. _Since Kagome came along, she's the only one they've been trying to pull off of_. _They've argued about it more than once when Youko's snuck in a taste here and there_, he smirked faintly.

Shippou shrugged, "I'm hardly surprised by that."

_I suppose it's true that you do stick together_, Hiei drawled out at the defense of Youko's energy-sniping.

"To some extent," Shippou nodded. "I still don't think he's right for Kagome, but then again…"

_You like seeing the miko happy_.

"Sums it up nicely," he made a face. "And if Kurama was coming to us for an alliance, I wouldn't have any arguments. He's old, he's powerful, and he's creative, I don't doubt that he'd be damn hard to kill. On the other hand, being who and what she is, I don't want Kagome to get attached to a kitsune who willfully split his personality the way he has. She's never connected to a soul like that, and I don't know what it could do to her if she ever has to try."

_You haven't told Sesshoumaru? Or Kagome?_ Hiei frowned in confusion.

Shippou shook his head, "This is a kitsune matter that I'll deal with personally if I have to. I don't want to ruin a chance for Kagome to be happy though if Youko's complete soul is in agreement over wanting her seriously."

Hiei sent him a sly look, _You don't intend to tell Kurama that unless you can help it_,_ do you?_

"And tell him that I'm not as disapproving as he thinks I am? Hell no," Shippou snorted and tucked his knees up to bring his legs back over inside the railing. "He's going to have to prove to me he'd be good for her first, and I wouldn't be able to call myself a kitsune if I made that easy."

Hiei rolled his eyes, _I still find kitsune to be some of the most disturbing youkai I've ever had the misfortune of allying myself with_.

"You know you love us," Shippou smirked, eyes flashing bright as a curl of pale energy chased a circle around his carrier mark. "We keep everyone around us on their toes. Besides, if you can't play with your family, what's the point in having one?"

_Even a mix-breed apparition?_ Hiei's expression was wiped carefully blank as he watched he kitsune's expression.

"In a perfect world, I'd have Kagome all to myself and we'd do nothing but eat chocolate and think of new ways to goof off and play with people," Shippou's shoulders lifted again in a rueful shrug. "It's nothing personal against you; it's just having her spread out amongst other carriers again. But I know how much it means to find a family after you think you're alone, and if you're going to accidentally fall into one, then at least you've got good taste to pick ours."

_Then all your whining is for show?_ Hiei couldn't stop the snort of frustrated irritation that escaped him. _About me not belonging here?_

"Now I never said those exact words," Shippou winced slightly when that spark came more insistently. "I trust my sister, and if she says you belong with us, then this is your home as much as it is mine. You're one of us."

Hiei stared at him, unable to see a single hint that Shippou was being untruthful and turning his thoughts down a more private path, _One__ of them_.

Shippou hopped off the rail, folding his arms behind his head and arching his back to stretch out the kinks, "You coming? Sesshoumaru's calling so I'm going to see how long it takes to get Kouga's head bashed into the floor."

"Go ahead," Hiei made a dismissive motion with his hand. "I want to think."

He offered the hybrid a mock salute, "Don't take too long, Kagome might start to worry that you don't feel welcome and that makes Sesshoumaru antsy. It'd be hilarious as hell for me to see you being told to sit beside Big Dog all night, but somehow I can't see you enjoying that much."

"Takashima."

Shippou paused with his hand on the shoji, glancing back at him, "Hm?"

_Why hasn't Youko told anyone that Kurama is just a part of his soul?_ _Why make everyone believe that he's at war inside a human body_,_ devouring it a little at a time?_

"The more real the illusion is, the more _real_ it is," Shippou rubbed the back of his head as he obviously struggled to put it into words for another youkai to understand. "If he protects his illusion with that depth of deception, he doesn't want to lose Kurama any more than he wants to lose his own sense of self."

_And the story about devouring himself?_ Hiei prodded, feeling less hurt by the façade with Shippou's rationalization.

"He's probably been breaking down the human body little by little, replacing it as he gets the energy to alter his own composition," Shippou frowned thoughtfully. "That would be hard though, and it would take a ridiculous amount of energy. Avatars age, and Youko might be afraid that if he doesn't get a youkai body back, he'll lose Kurama back into himself when the body dies."

Hiei dipped his head in silent thanks after a beat of silence, _Tell Kagome I'll be inside shortly_.

"We'll hold dessert," Shippou winked, pulling the shoji open and disappearing inside with a flick of his tail.

Hiei blinked in mild surprise at the abruptness of that action on the heels of something that had been downright thoughtful from the most selfish person in the circle of carriers. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but chuckle as he leaned his back heavily on the support to think over everything the investigator had revealed. The difficulties he'd expected had never come, no fights and no protests to his presence. On the contrary, the more he interacted with Kagome's family, the more it felt… right?

Like it fit.

_I think I may get to like belonging here_.

………

'_We shouldn't be the least bit surprised that our beautiful lover has taken such excellent care of the trees around her home_,' Youko let out a deep sigh of appreciation as Kurama reached up stroke his fingers over the leaves of the tree above them. '_You can feel it, can't you? How much she loves uncorrupted nature?_'

_I can feel it_, Kurama smiled faintly, closing his eyes as he drew in energy around them hungrily. _Just like I can tell we aren't suffering from the holy magic as much as we should be_.

'_I told you she likes us_,' Youko purred out smugly.

Kurama chuckled and shook his head, drawing his hands back down into his pockets as he glanced around the silent grounds, _You're feeling particularly good about yourself_,_ aren't you?_

'_As of tomorrow, we are going to be spending two weeks alone with our lover and taking her around places where we'll have every opportunity to impress her with our gifts_,' Youko turned his nose up, tail swishing back and forth eagerly with his racing thoughts. '_None of her nosy, nosy guard dogs interrupting right when things start to get good_. _And after what happened in the restaurant today, you know that it won't be long before we have her right where she belongs_. _Depending on how things go, we may even have her pregnant with our first son by the time we get back_.'

_You're getting ahead of yourself, Youko_, Kurama shook his head, lips twitching at just how cheerful the kitsune was sounding in his head. _Don_'_t you think we should get settled in as her lover before we decide to try getting her pregnant?_

'_Psh_Now_ you want to wait?_' Youko frowned in disapproval.

_If we want her to for more than one baby, that might be a good idea_, Kurama pointed out, turning to walk down the stone steps back to the sidewalk. _She's young, we can stand to give it a little bit of time_.

'_Still having sex_.'

Kurama rolled his eyes, _Yes, Youko, still having sex_.

'_Oh good, for a moment there I was worried that you might be broken_,' Youko blew out an exaggerated sigh of relief.

_I'm not broken_, Kurama protested in exasperation.

'_You didn't want to tell Shiori-kun that our lover is going to be moving in with us_,' Youko pointed out. '_What else was I supposed to think? It's a legitimate concern_.'

_Move in where?_ Kurama paused at the sidewalk, reaching out to lightly rest his hand on one of the little kitsune statues flanking the stairs that were no doubt Shippou's addition. _We don't have a house here, Youko_.

'_We can get one_,' he waved that aside as unimportant. '_Or we can move in with her, we're going to be helping at the temple after all_.'

_Have you been planning without telling me again?_ Kurama frowned in mild irritation, curling his fingers to send a faint spark of youki into the statues to reinforce his own protection over the temple.

'_You were sleeping_.'

_Stop using that for an excuse_, Kurama checked his watch, turning around with every intention of returning to Yuusuke's house for the night when he nearly ran right into another man walking towards the temple. Startled, he took a quick step back, schooling his expression to give away nothing as he assessed the late-night intruder, "Can I help you?"

'_Who is this person and why is he in front of our lover's temple at this hour of the night?_' all hint of playfulness leeched out of Youko's voice, leaving him turning a flat, deadly glare on the strangely familiar person turning his own look of mild surprise on them. '_Why does he look_-? _Oh! Oooh! Oh _fuck _no! He looks like that thing! That Musou thing in Makai!'_

_Musou?_ Kurama's eyes narrowed fractionally, taking in the uncommonly pretty face and the upswept, dark hair. _Maybe a little, but no_… _it's something else_-?

"I'm sorry, I hadn't realized someone was standing here," the man's voice was melodic, even pleasant, but something about it set every last one of Kurama's senses on edge. "I enjoy walking past this place on my way to the station, but I'm afraid I've become accustomed to this sidewalk being empty at this hour of the night."

'_I don't like the way he's looking at us,_' Youko's eyes flashed, the growl building low in his throat. '_Who the fuck does he think he is to have such arrogance in his eyes when he looks at our face?_'

"I'm afraid I didn't catch your name," Kurama straightened his spine, resting one hand lightly on his hip as his gaze became openly challenging. "If you're so familiar with this place, are you a friend of my fiancée?"

"How rude of me," the man pressed his hand up over his heart, smirking as he dipped in a shallow bow. "Nasamura Reiko, but then, you had already left your lovely _fiancée_ to her own devices when I made her acquaintance and made my introductions before."

Youko went disturbingly still inside their head, eyes flashing deep scarlet under the wash of anger that flowed through him, '_This human_…'

_The restaurant_, Kurama's jaw clenched so tightly he was amazed he didn't crack something. _This is the man who scared her so badly_. _How can he see this temple?_

Reiko slid his hand into his hair, pushing it back over his shoulder as he turned to continue on the path towards the train station. Pausing beside Kurama, he slanted a sideways glare at him beneath his bangs, "There's nothing more shameful than seeing such a beautiful woman left heartlessly behind. Luckily there is always someone waiting to step in, and give them what they need to be happy. To make them smile."

Kurama had his hand around the man's throat, spinning around to slam him up against the fence hiding most of the temple grounds from view with a snarl. He barely caught himself before he followed through with a punch that would have made Yuusuke proud, shifting its path at the last second to strike beside his face.

'_You shouldn't have missed_,' Youko whispered in disapproval.

Reiko started to laugh softly, gaining volume until the sound was echoing around them, "I see she failed to mention that I did what you couldn't."

"Scare her to death?" Kurama forced down his desire to rip him apart, golden eyes blazing with the suppressed emotions. "She didn't have to tell me about you, I knew what you'd done."

"She didn't seem scared when I left her," Reiko reached up, gripping Kurama's fingers and tugging at them suggestively. "And her brother only mentioned you were a boyfriend, not something so close as a fiancé. Wishful thinking?"

"Things change," Kurama growled out without missing a beat, squeezing the throat under his hand hard and dropping him before he gave into the urge to kill him.

"How very true," Reiko braced his weight up on the wall, rubbing his abused neck for a moment before dusting himself off and straightening. "I wonder how many things will change before I finish with you. After all, Takeharuka's niece deserves better than some nothing-pretty boy."

Youko wrapped his arms around their soul, adding a dangerous edge to Kurama's smile as he repeated mockingly, "How very true. But tell me, Nasamura, after openly admitting you recognize the quality of my lover as being so high above your own, why do you think she would hold any interest in you?"

Reiko chuckled softly, smoothing his hand over his hair again and meticulously straightening his clothing, "You have a clever mouth for a fool… perhaps my company will have a place for you after I've moved on. It would be a shame to let that talent go to waste over a little personal disagreement."

'_Get him out of here before I decide to stop being patient and eviscerate him,_' Youko drew back in disgust. '_Kagome would likely be distressed if we spilled the blood of this human so near to her home_.'

_Maybe she'd get over it_, Kurama took a step back, broadly hinting for the man to be on his way.

Reiko arched an eyebrow arrogantly at the dismissal, dipping forward in an insultingly low bow as he purred out, "Enjoy her while you can. I'll take her away soon enough and show her she's better than you."

Youko chuckled softly, the sound sending a chill down Kurama's spine at the leashed violence he could practically taste behind it. His arms slowly wound around their soul again, encouraging the distasteful images those words had conjured in Kurama's mind to fall away under darker, more pleasurable fantasies as Reiko straightened, '_Just remember, this filthy thing will never be allowed anywhere near our lover_. _But it is only natural for him to wish for things beyond his reach_.'

"Don't make a challenge you can't answer," Kurama warned softly, more than a little of Youko pouring through to influence the tone of his voice. "I'm not a person you would wish to have for an enemy."

Reiko tossed his hair back over his shoulder as he turned away and continued down the sidewalk towards the station, casually offering back to Kurama, "My instincts tell me this is a risk worth taking, so I suppose I'll just have to wait and see what kind of enemy you become."

'_All arrogance and false charm_… _a human who would no doubt beg to become mine for the power I could give him if he had any idea of how weak he was compared to me_,' Youko dragged his thumb slowly across his lower lip, darting his tongue out to graze his claw as he voiced his appraisal. '_Foolish thing_.'

_As much as I hate agreeing with you when you're being particularly overbearing_, _I think you're right_, Kurama scowled after the retreating back, easily recognizing that view from the first time they had seen him forcing his company on Kagome.

'_If there's one thing we recognize after what our life was, Kurama, it's greed_,' Youko dipped his head to acknowledge the concurrence gracefully for once. '_I've never been wrong in that respect_, _have I?_'

_No_, Kurama folded his arms with deceptive casualness, focusing on the agitated ki around him and drawing it into himself to resettle their aura.

Youko gave every indication of savoring the energy slowly, gathering it more purposefully with the offensive threat of Reiko's attentions towards his lover, '_There is no chance in any layer of the three worlds that we would lose her to a thing like that_. _Did you hear him? "Takeharuka's neice_,"' he mimicked in disgust. '_It's laughable to think he believes himself better than us when he refers to her in such a disrespectful way_. _Or that his pathetically insufficient emotions could hope to even fractionally satisfy our lover_.'

_Greed_, Kurama barely stopped his lip from curling back off his teeth in an instinctive threat against the thought of that human trying to touch Kagome. _And lust_.

'_Ch!__ If you can call what he feels anything at all_,' Youko felt safe enough to let their eyes flash scarlet as the human vanished around the corner. '_He hasn't even developed them properly to be enjoyed_.'

He couldn't suppress the urge to chuckle faintly at the way Youko made that sound practically vulgar, _There__ aren't many creatures who feel things the way kitsune do_.

'_That's their flaw_,' he slid his chin down onto Kurama's shoulder with a low sigh, letting the more obvious rage go to the back of his mind to be broken down and reworked until into could be reformed into something more precise and deadly.

Kurama let himself be soothed under the familiarity of that reaction, making a mental note to draw out this issue at a more appropriate time. He closed his eyes, relaxing himself bit by bit with the new energy, _You__ can always tell_,_ can't you? You know what makes them weak, Youko, what you can use to make them fail_.

'_I am not who I am without having earned it_,' Youko's arms tightened around them, slowly drawing Kurama deeper into the comfort of his soul to restore their good mood as he whispered softly in answer. '_When it all comes down to it, Kurama, we're never wrong about the emotions around us_. _We can just taste sin_.'


	46. Dichotomy

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Soooo… I wanted very, very badly to be able to get this out before my next priority research project started. Mainly because when I get a project like this, I don't really know when I'll have enough free time to sit down and write out the next chapter. –unhappy face- Fortunately, my easily agitated muse has been helpful and forthcoming, and I somehow managed to sneak it out. (Which is good considering I have to have my first estimation done by tomorrow evening at the latest. -.-;;) Ah well, such is life. At least I have medicine to help the laryngitis go away.

To all you guys, thank you very much for always having so many encouraging and sweet things to say. I love hearing what you like, what you thought wasn't right… hell, it's just tons of fun to hear what you were thinking for the chapter! XD You really do brighten up my days and bring some much needed stress relief. To my junkies, my buddies new and old, my reviewers, and all my readers… you guys are all fabulous. Thank you very much.

By Any Other Name

-Dichotomy-

Youko Kurama had been quite possibly the most notorious, ruthless, legendary kitsune thief to exist in thousands of years. Every last drop of blood, sweat, and tears he had spilled to earn his reputation was a source of enormous pride, counted amongst his most favorite trophies. Although granted, there was something even more delicious about the tears, bringing fond memories of the misery and pain he'd been able to so effectively and consistently cause for his chosen adversaries.

Over the decades upon decades of his life, he'd honed his skills with painstaking precision, growing more confident and powerful and becoming a true force to be reckoned with. He was the very epitome of everything his enemies could only wish to become: cold and elegant, beautiful and deadly, desired and feared. And he was-

--sulking.

So much so that Kurama had fully mimicked the kitsune's position in the safety of their soul. Slumped over until he was almost reclining in the wide seat with his elbow propped on the cushioned arm. Chin resting heavily in his palm as they alternated between longing looks at Kagome's sleeping face below them-

And baleful glares at Kouga.

'_Headed this direction already my ass_,' Youko growled out in irritation, narrowing his eyes as he plotted any number of nasty events that could befall the wolf clicking away on his laptop.

Kurama sighed, trying his damnedest not to echo the kitsune's sentiments, but it was much more difficult than he hoped it would be, _It got us a ride in business class_.

'_Sesshoumaru would have sent Kagome business class anyhow_,' Youko muttered, rolling over onto his stomach and glaring out more directly through their eyes. '_He doesn't want his little miko to be crammed in amongst filthy humans for such an extended period of time any more than _we_ would let her travel that way_. _You knew we were going to be riding in style when he passed her off to us asleep_.'

_That's another thing completely_, Kurama frown lost some of its edge to concern. He reached out his hand to gently stroke her hair, scowling when the oversized, grey wolf currently playing her pillow growled at him menacingly. _What could she possibly have been doing last night to be so tired that he had to carry her here? And why didn_'_t he seem surprised that she was so unresponsive to him?_

Youko turned that over his mind for a second as to the best way to get his answers, finally shrugging as he suggested, '_Ask the wolf_. _He's too blunt to play games like the rest of them. We're most likely to get a straight response out of him_.'

_You hate him_.

'_That doesn't mean I won't pry him for every scrap of information I can get out of his thick head_,' Youko scoffed and turned up his nose. '_If he's helpful, we can be magnanimous and let him live out his natural lifespan in relative peace_.'

Kurama rolled his eyes at that, but grudgingly admitted the wolf lord _would_ be their best bet as corrected his posture to more properly strike up the potentially difficult conversation, "Kouga."

"Hm?" Kouga didn't look up from whatever held his attention on the computer screen, fingers still filling the quiet train car with the steady clicking.

Kurama snapped his mouth shut in a hurry when he felt Youko attempt to stealthily slip out an insulting inquiry about the youkai's ability to actually use human technology, _Youko_, _you said_-

'_All right, all right_,' Youko waved one hand impatiently to show he would try the same trick twice. '_But it's a legitimate question_.'

_Not the way _you_ word it, it's not_, Kurama sighed, clearing his throat as he tried again. "Why is Kagome so tired this morning? Was she injured?"

'_Oh she'd damn well better not have been_ _hurt without us being told!_' Youko started to rear up at the possibility he'd previously deemed too unlikely to seriously consider.

"Dinner ran much later than we expected," Kouga finally glanced at him as his answer halted Youko's rising temper, his ice-blue eyes flashing with deep amusement at Kurama's expense. The wolf shifted his weight instinctively to a more balanced position, almost as though he'd read the unspoken threat from Youko in their green-gold eyes. "Kagome has a bigger part in keeping all our work running smoothly than she likes to admit to, and with her having to make this trip, there was a lot of setting up to get done to prepare for her absence. She doesn't want the business running into any problems from disorganization. Why?"

'_If that was as true as he wants it to sound, she wouldn't have been completely absent for as long as they suggest_,' Youko frowned suspiciously at the conflicting information.

_And why would she be regularly teaching children's classes in Shinju's temple when Sesshoumaru is working?_ Kurama added to the inconsistencies. "Kagome does not seem much like a person who would sleep so deeply in unfamiliar settings," he answered Kouga easily, eyes intently watching for anything that would give the youkai away in a lie.

"My woman is safe with me," Kouga smirked, closing his laptop with a faint click and setting it beside him as he seemed to decide if the atmosphere was calm enough for him to lounge back in his chair. Without ever letting his challenging stare waver from Kurama's face, he nodded his head towards the slumbering miko. "She knows she can rest when I'm here, and I won't let anything happen to her."

'_Oh we are putting a stop to _this_ right here_,' Youko shook his head in disapproval, sitting up more purposefully to a more aggressive stance. '_This wolf is going to learn his place is not beside our lover if it kills him_.'

"You're not presenting for Kagome's company," Kurama braced both elbows on the arms of his chair, lacing his fingers together to cradle his chin as the gold in his eyes swallowed up their more tranquil green.

"Don't have to," Kouga folded his arms back behind his head, not intimidated in the least to be meeting that hostile glare. "I announced a long time ago that I was staking a claim, kitsune. You're lucky I'm willing to allow you to pretend you have a chance with my woman."

Kurama bit down hard on the side of his tongue to stop Youko from vocalizing his rather malevolent threats beyond the safety of their soul. He took a slow deliberate breath to let the kitsune settle back into a more calculating level of calm before he repeated carefully, "_Pretend_ I have a chance?"

Kouga lips curved up enough in a humorless smile to expose one fang, "She's too good for you."

'_I'll be good for her_,' Youko's hissed out, youki rising defensively at the blatant accusation that _he_ wouldn't compliment her. '_I can taste it when we touch her, she _needs_ what I can give her! They don't have what it takes to help her enjoy living the way we do_.'

Kurama frowned in confusion over the undercurrents of heavy emotion chasing through him with Youko's growling responses, turning his focus inward momentarily to try and soothe the kitsune before it got out of hand. _Easy! Dammit, Youko, what's gotten into you? Why are you letting him get under your skin like that? Kagome invited us because she wants us to have time together_;_ she's the only one we need to be concerned with pleasing_.

'_He's much too confident_,' Youko scowled, but did rein in the uncharacteristic temper as he folded his arms over his chest and turned to his side in subtle insult even though the youkai had no way of seeing it. '_Thinking he can say such things to us as though he compares at our level when _he_ lost her to a fucking human_.'

_You don't know that_- Kurama started.

'_She wasn't married that long ago from everything we've been told and been able to piece together_,' Youko interrupted, making a dismissive gesture with one hand to stop Kurama. '_And a youkai saying "a long time ago" is much more substantial than if a human said it_, _so what _he's_ suggesting is that he made his claim before this Miroku person came into the picture_. _He can't possibly think he'd be a better choice for our lover if he passed her off so easily once before_.'

Kurama turned to look out the window for a moment, breaking eye-contact with the wolf when the enormity of Youko's offended feelings started to spill over into him, _He didn't reject her, Youko_.

'_He didn't keep her either_,' Youko reiterated with a snort. '_He gave her up once and he doesn't deserve to have the chance to do it again_. _It would upset her unnecessarily_.'

_Upset_-?

'_Ask him why he thinks a wolf would be good enough for our lover_,' Youko smoothed over the beginnings of Kurama's startled demand with his own, retracting his emotions just as his counterpart started to delve into them. '_What grand difference could he possibly have for placing his worth above ours?_'

_Dammit, Youko_-!

'_Later, we're busy right now_,' Youko jerked his head suggestively back towards Kouga, sending a tingle along Kurama's skin to warn that he would take over the conversation by force to get his way this time if he felt it necessary. '_Ask_.'

Kurama set his jaw, making sure Youko had a very clear impression of his determination to get a straight answer over the reason behind that little remark as he turned his attention back to the wolf youkai, "Then what makes you any different?"

The mocking edge melted from Kouga's expression as those pale eyes lowered to the girl sprawled out on the floor between them. Sighing, he leaned forward to give his wolf an affectionate pat before ghosting his fingertips over Kagome's hair, "Because I love her."

Kurama wasn't even aware he'd moved until his hand was around Kouga's wrist, squeezing just hard enough to prove he was serious about bringing a stop to that caress, but the surprise was gone as soon as it had come. Youko blended with him effortlessly to deepen the pitch of their voice, instructing in a deceptively bland tone, "Don't declare your feelings for my lover so openly. It is… inappropriate."

Kouga chuckled softly, flexing the muscles in his arm out of habit as his own youki responded to the threat he felt humming through the kitsune. Obstinately, he followed the stroke through despite the hold on his wrist to trace his fingertips down her cheek as proof he wouldn't be so easily deterred before returning the touch to his wolf's chin, "You're just as bad as Inukkoro, making such empty demands on her attention when you aren't going to offer her all of your affection in return."

_Inukkoro?_ Kurama momentarily turned their focus inward to search for the memory of which youkai the wolf was comparing them with now.

'_Not now_.'

"She married someone else," Youko exerted himself enough to make that silky smooth reminder. "Obviously your love wasn't good enough for her to choose you in the past."

Kouga let out a bark of laughter that was readily echoed by the wolf as well, "Is that what you think? You think just because she was married to that damn bouzu, she rejected my feelings? Kagome has more love in her than that."

'_Bouzu?_' Youko pulled up short in surprise. '_She married a monk in this life as well?_'

"I supported her decision to marry," Kouga continued calmly once his laughter had subsided, scratching his wolf's ears one last time before he sat up and unflinchingly met the kitsune's suspicious glare. "Because it means more to me to see Kagome happy than it does to have her to myself, and she would die before she turned her back on her friends when they need her. It doesn't mean I love her any less, or that she doesn't love me in return."

Youko was strangely silent as Kurama looked from the wolf lord to Kagome, and back up again, gritting his teeth as he leaned forward and backtracked to another remark that had bothered him, "Why don't you think I would offer her everything I'm capable of?"

"I can see it in your eyes," Kouga grinned, tapping his forefinger against his own temple to gesticulate. "Sometimes it's almost there when you're looking at her and you think no one can see you, but other times it's too guarded. You can't expect to hold back with a person like Kagome if you want to truly become someone special with her. And I can tell you aren't giving her your whole self yet."

"You think you know me so well?" Kurama's spine stiffened, instincts bristling at having a wolf youkai give him something so close to a lecture regarding his own behavior towards Kagome.

That half-smirk was back on Kouga's face, habitually running a hand through his hair before he made a gesture to soothe the low growl coming from his wolf, "You'd be amazed how clear things become when Kagome accepts you into her heart."

Youko shifted inside their soul, unintentionally forcing Kurama to still under the wave of dark emotions spilling through them at that claim. Their entire demeanor underwent a subtle alteration, a fluidity coming to their movements that had been absent before as he crossed one leg over the other. Turning his palm down without taking his eyes off Kouga, Youko murmured with soft menace, "I have no reason to waste my energy proving my intentions to any of you."

Kouga shrugged, but the flash of his eyes showed clearly enough that he had caught the drastic spike in Kurama's youki and was prepared to answer it, "I never said you did, I just said you weren't good enough for her."

"Do any of you believe that _any_ creatures besides yourselves are 'good enough' for her?" Youko's eyes narrowed as he stirred the youki within his flower into wakefulness. He poured his influence into it to grow and boost Kagome off the wolf, lifting her high enough for him to slide his arms beneath her shoulders and knees. The vines retracted back to normal once he pulled her into his chest and readjusted his arms to enfold her more completely in his embrace as the wolf sat up with an angry snarl.

"Her husband was the only one who has come close in my opinion," Kouga arched an eyebrow at the possessive gesture, letting his gaze slowly sweep over the way the kitsune's aura seemed to relax as soon as she unconsciously turned into his touch. And if not for the lack of any echo suggesting she was drawing off Kurama, he might have worried over that. "However, in the end, we're still asking ourselves if it was worth it to let her make that decision when we knew it could end badly."

Kurama wrestled control back from a very reluctant Youko, arms tightening under the exchange as his chin came to rest on top of her head absently, "You knew Miroku would be killed?"

"We knew it was highly possible," Kouga nodded, patting one hand against his knee to bring the wolf up to his side when it started to rise with bared teeth. Resting a calming touch on top of the animal's head, they both turned their intense gazes at the youkai holding their miko close. "It was a dangerous time for all of us, and he was… not a popular human with our enemies."

'_He's been coached_,' Youko frowned, but the displeasure smoothed almost immediately from his expression when Kagome's arm clumsily lifted to wrap around their neck. Sighing, he closed his eyes and blended their arms to more directly enjoy the feel of her in their lap, her warmth pushing away his agitation with almost disturbing ease, '_He's still not as crafty as the others, but he's not slipping anywhere near as much as that first day_.'

_He was tired that first day_, Kurama reminded him, lifting Kagome higher until her cheek rested on his shoulder, freeing one hand to stroke lazily through her hair. _Not to mention off balance_. _Shippou had taken him by surprise, remember?_ _We can't forget that he's ancient too, and he's a lord_. _He can't be stupid and have such a high position under Sesshoumaru's organization_.

"A time we don't intend to allow to repeat," the pitch of Kouga's voice lowered as he continued, sending a flicker of warning chasing across Kurama's senses. "Just so you're aware, if you ever give us reason to suspect you may bring her any harm, it's not likely you'll live long enough to regret it."

Annoyance flickered across Kurama's face, "You aren't nearly as intelligent as I gave you credit for if you think I'm a danger to Kagome."

'_Or that I would allow such creatures as these to destroy me_.'

"Maybe not purposefully," Kouga shrugged again, leaning back in his seat with all the arrogance of a king. "But in our experience, the ones who have hurt Kagome the most are the ones who've claimed to love her more than anyone else."

"Doesn't that mean she should be wary of you more than me after your declaration?" Kurama arched an eyebrow, subconsciously rubbing his cheek against her forehead when she made a sound of discomfort and pulled herself closer to him.

Kouga's smile changed, softening as his gaze lingered over Kagome's profile, "The difference, kitsune, is that I love her enough to let her go when I have to."

The smile that crossed Kurama's face was purely Youko, "I've always been taught to hold the things I come to admire close and protect them from interlopers who may think to harm or steal them."

"Thinking that way in regards to Kagome will only get you pushed away," the wolf casually turned to glance out the window, a flash of longing flickering in his eyes betraying his desire to run. He shook it off almost as quickly as it had appeared, taking in the passing ocean and landscape to gauge how much longer before they reached their destination. "If you can't trust her just as much when she's away from you than when she's at your side, I have nothing to worry about. Of course, it helps that you're a kitsune."

Kurama frowned at the way Kouga had said that, "What would my being a kitsune have to do with anything?"

"Casual sex partner," Kouga grinned wickedly at the startled look that crossed that pretty face, chuckling in open appreciation as he pointed at Kagome. "You think I'd be so cruel as to deny my woman a good time now and then? Hell, she understands what we're like when we're unattached, and I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't give her the same respect she's given me."

_I_…_ I don't believe this_, Kurama stared in disbelief at the youkai grinning at him, unable to name the variety of emotions vying for precedence at that declaration. _He thinks just because we're kitsune that there_'_s no possibility we could be taking our pursuit seriously?_

"You're taking a big risk staking your approval on the chance that I'm just a 'kitsune looking for a fling,'" Youko arched an eyebrow, blanking their expression to prevent the wolf from seeing just how irritated he'd just become.

Kouga shook his head, "Statistics."

"Statistics?" Kurama echoed flatly.

"Kitsune are too self-absorbed to make a good long-term match," he nodded, ticking off the points on his fingers as he said them. "It's all about instant gratification, passing interests, and feeding. Besides that, you're old and set in your ways. You'd probably sooner gnaw off your own foot than willingly settle down into the kind of relationship Kagome wants to have again."

Youko and Kurama bristled in silent, unified indignation as the wolf blithely continued to prattle off reasons why they would never go above being a sex-friend, _Are you the one making me imagine him sectioned off and strung up in our garden?_

'_Sorry, I'm entertaining a disembowelment fantasy at the moment_,' Youko shook his head. '_That one's all you_.'

"It's the human in her," Kouga was saying, blissfully unaware of the murderous imaginations running wild in the dual minds not three feet in front of him. "Only so much of it can come out of her when she's in our hands, you know? She wouldn't be satisfied with a roving partner like you would be."

"Don't presume to know how I 'would be' in my relationship with my lover," Youko cut him off coldly before he could say anything more. "No matter how much you think you know of kitsune from your relationship with Shippou, I am not a kitsune you can classify in the same way. I am an ancient, and I'm most assuredly out of your league."

"You're not my type," Kouga retorted with a taunting smile.

Youko twisted their expression into a patronizing smile of his own, "Were I not so disgusted by you, I would prove you wrong."

Kouga was right back to chuckling, turning to the side to reach into his bag for a water bottle, "You see? Roving."

Kurama let out a weary sigh as he hurriedly blocked Youko's rising youki before it could manifest in a public attack on the bothersome youkai, "You don't actually believe that, do you?"

"From my part in raising Shippou, I know better than to think a kitsune plays by anyone's rules but their own," Kouga's mood returned to serious as he took a drink and held out the bottle for his wolf, tipping it just enough to pour a little into its mouth. "You're a bizarre breed, I'll admit to that, but then Kagome knows your kind better than I do. So regardless, if she's willing to let you close to her, all I can do is keep an eye on you and make sure you don't cause her pain."

'_I'm done speaking with this creature_,' Youko retreated back within their soul, folding his arms over his chest and turning his back on the youkai completely. '_I do not require anyone "keeping an eye" on me_. _Kagome is the only reason he's not bleeding, but if he continues in such an insulting manner then I will not be held responsible for my response_.'

"Hand her to me, we'll be arriving soon," Kouga screwed the cap back on the bottle and stowed it away before holding out his arms for Kagome.

Kurama responded with an arched eyebrow, "You're joking."

'_Not a chance in Hell_.'

Kouga actually rolled his eyes at them as though they were no more than one of his recalcitrant pups, sitting up straighter in his seat with a faint, but blatantly authoritative growl, "I have to wake her up, kitsune, or do you want to spend your entire vacation tending to a comatose miko?"

"Why would she be comatose?" Kurama continued to glare at the wolf suspiciously, everything in him dying to answer that challenge, but logically he was aware this was neither the time nor the place to get into a dominance match.

"Her miko energy exposed to the jyaki that comes off a taiyoukai like Sesshoumaru? You figure it out," Kouga snorted, gripping Kurama's wrist and giving it a suggestive pull to indicate he would be much more forceful if he wanted to be difficult.

"And what makes you think you can wake her up if her condition involves her powers?" Kurama pressed, eyeing the offending hand as the vine at Kagome's throat began to stir in answer. "Wake a miko sleeping off a jyaki overdose with more jyaki?"

"Practice," Kouga's smile was just a showing of teeth, a wolf's threat that the situation would rapidly degenerate unless Kurama cooperated with his "request."

Youko's eyes narrowed dangerously, half-twisting back around to let their eyes flash scarlet in proof of how very much he didn't care for the wolf's words. Kurama tried to ignore the pressing influence, glancing down at Kagome's still form for another tense moment before came to a decision and nodded stiffly, "Very well, but Sesshoumaru was the one who gave her to me. You will return her."

Kouga said nothing at first, releasing Kurama to instead slide his arm beneath Kagome's back and pull her towards him. Looping his other arm over her waist when the kitsune begrudgingly loosened his hold and let her be lifted out of his lap, he informed him nonchalantly, "I'm here to make certain things get off to a good start. I want Kagome to have a chance to rest and to get you out of her system."

Kurama's brows rose, a spark of amusement rising in the face of his anger, "Is that what you think will happen when you leave her to me?"

"Two weeks is a long time to a kitsune as far as human bed-partners are concerned," Kouga looked at him squarely, bringing a frown to Kurama's face when he realized there wasn't a shred of maliciousness behind the youkai's words. He was merely stating the facts as he interpreted them, "You'll probably be more than ready to move on by the time you return."

Youko distractedly ran his claws through his hair, chalking up more reasons to dislike Kouga as he let out an exaggerated sigh of distaste, '_Did everyone of those assholes neglect to mention to him that I've picked Kagome for the mother of my children?_'

Kurama gave in to the need to lift their hand and rub at the bridge of their nose in an effort to dispel the growing ache, _At this point, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they conveniently "forgot" to bring it up_. _Then again, he's probably still going to claim she's his woman when she's enormously pregnant with our third baby_.

Youko chuckled, oddly taking enjoyment out of that mental image until he justified it by murmuring, '_Talk is cheap_. _Under those circumstances, I wouldn't give a damn what he was saying, she'd have obviously given her soul to me_.'

Kouga ignored the gaze he could feel boring into him, concentrating instead on slipping one hand up under the back of her shirt discreetly until his palm hit the center of the mark between her shoulder blades. Her aura warmed, softening and rousing under the prod of his own youki as he patiently worked her back up from Sesshoumaru's style of massive infusion. Kagome let out a sound of protest, shifting her weight and instinctively trying to arch up away from his hand when she came back into her head enough to register the amount of jyaki in her soul.

"It's time to wake up, Kagome," Kouga lowered his voice respectfully when she tried to twist away from the light, all too familiar with the hypersensitive state she was in. Sneaking a quick look at Kurama to be sure he was still unaware of what exactly he was doing with his hand, Kouga pressed upwards until he felt the skin ripple and give to let him sink in just enough to make a faint connection. _Don't pull_…_ we have the wrong kind of eyes on us at the moment, love_. _But we're nearing the stop you need to take for the shrine_.

_What time is it?_ Kagome's groggy voice slid into his mind much more strongly than it had in the past, making Kouga start before he shook his head in an effort to banish Kurama's deepening curiosity.

_Mid-morning_, _right on schedule_, he lifted his head, eyes glazing over slightly as he let her expand the connection to view through the buffer of his senses. Wanting to give her something to distract her and help ground her soul more quickly, Kouga decided to voice his opinion on his most recent conversation. _Your kitsune is an asshole_.

"Kurama?" Kagome cracked one eye open, unable to stop the lazy giggle bubbling out of her at the emotion in the wolf's voice. _Kouga-kun_, _you're trying to make him lose his temper_,_ aren't you?_

_I can be worse_, Kouga defended, blinking to disconnect their senses and start easing his youki out of her as soon as he felt her get a proper hold on her surroundings.

_Mm_, _which means you can be better_, the clarity was slowly returning to her thoughts, as she lifted one hand loosely to cover a yawn. _Don't think you're fooling me, I know you better than anyone_.

_I'm only having a bit of fun with him_, Kouga slid his fingers through her hair despite the wave of discontent that gesture earned from their audience. _And it doesn't make him any less of an ass_.

_Seems to be a pattern_,_ doesn't it?_ Kagome forced her other eye to open, blinking uncomfortably as she gathered her ki more carefully into itself in order to regain complete control of her body. Turning her head to the side, she squinted until Kurama came into focus and smiled, "Hey."

"Welcome back," Kurama immediately put Kouga firmly from his mind, relaxing under the glassy warmth all directed on him as he sat forward to reach for her. "I was beginning to worry, you know. You shouldn't do such things to the lover you adore."

Kagome chuckled when he winked at her to show he was teasing, shaking her head at his antics, "I'm all right, just tired from trying to keep up with a houseful of youkai last night. It's my fault for trying when I know they can kick my ass any day of the week on the endurance thing."

Kouga smirked over her head and mouthed silently "I told you."

Kagome brought her elbow back into his stomach lightly, "Knock it off, Kouga-kun, I can still see you."

Youko's smile widened at that, reaching the rest of the distance to cup her cheek in his palm, stroking his thumb along the bone just to feel the way she subconsciously leaned into his touch. "I don't like seeing you so exhausted for no reason, little lover."

"Oh trust me, Shippou with a pound of chocolate in his system is on hell of a reason to be exhausted," Kagome muttered dryly, yawning again and shifting to try and sit up on her own.

Kouga had started to assist her, carefully slipping his hand back out of her shirt and starting to lift her when Kurama held out his hands with a pointed look to remind him of his earlier demand. When the wolf rolled his eyes, but did indeed pass her off into those waiting hands, Kurama turned his disapproving frown up on her to scold, "You need to eat when we get off the train, honey. You slept through breakfast."

Kouga's brows rose fractionally at the remark, tilting his head as his eyes took on a more speculative gleam, "You aren't going to insist on going to the hotel first?"

Kurama let out an impatient growl, tucking her up against his chest again, "Are you suggesting I would neglect my lover's health?"

"After," Kagome lifted a hand, cutting off the budding argument before it could really start. "Kouga-kun, Kurama is going to walk me to the shrine while you handle the arrangements Sesshoumaru wanted you to make at the hotel. We'll have breakfast before you have to leave to meet your dealers so you can report back to him that I'm in good condition and good hands, all right?"

'_She is so unbelievably sexy when she's being bossy_,' Youko pressed on Kurama until they were nuzzling the side of her throat, flicking a soft lick over the steady pulse and smiling when she jumped. '_Wait, she said_-?'

"What shrine?" Kurama leaned away from her enough to see her face when he asked.

"One of our family's personal shrines," Kouga answered for her as he turned to start repacking his shoulder bag as soon as the intercom announced their stop was coming up. "It's a very old, very powerful holy place, one that no creature with youki can enter. Private property so nothing can disturb the gravesites."

_Graves_, Kurama looked down at Kagome again when she sighed and sat up carefully, reaching up to rub the stiffness out of her neck.

'_Her husband?_' Youko rubbed his chin thoughtfully until an idea struck him, bringing a faint smile to his lips. '_Do you think she may be asking his soul permission to release her into our care?_'

"You won't be able to step beyond the outer wall, Kurama," Kagome was warning softly, her fingers lightly touching his wrist in a suggestion to let her up so they could take their place at the doors. "But I didn't think that you'd want to go ahead to the hotel with Kouga while I paid my respects alone."

"I'll be happy to wait for you outside," Kurama cut her off, taking the cue to stand but keeping his arm around her waist to encourage her to lean into him until her legs would support her properly after such prolonged non-activity. "Sesshoumaru was very specific in his instructions to protect you in his absence."

'_And very specific about what he'd do to us if we failed in that endeavor_,' Youko drawled out in remembered amusement, tail flicking back and forth in rising excitement to start their vacation.

Kouga had snapped his fingers as he stood to draw the attention of the other two youkai riding as passengers, jerking his head towards the bags as Kurama led Kagome over to stand out of the way. As the wolf started giving orders to the pair he'd come to find out had been his commanders since the feudal age, Kurama reached out to hold the support bar while using the other to tug Kagome against his chest.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat first?" Kurama asked softly, resting his chin on her shoulder as she let her head roll back until her cheek rested on his. "You look pale."

"You're getting as bad as Sesshoumaru, Kurama," Kagome turned to press her lips to his temple in a light kiss. "I'll be fine, really. It won't take long, and I won't spontaneously combust just because I missed breakfast. You wouldn't believe how many times I ran out of the house with toast when I was in school."

'_Tell her we won't be happy if she isn't thinking of her health seriously_,' Youko prodded at him. '_My lover is going to have the best of care at all times_.'

_I don't want to sound like I'm hovering just because she wants to wait on breakfast_, Kurama mentally shook his head, just enjoying the peace of staring out the windows with Kagome resting comfortably against his body. _Good gods, Youko_,_ what's gotten into you?_

'_Nothing has gotten into me, I'm just looking out for her welfare_,' he snorted and turned up his nose. '_I want to show her that we'll give her the best care out of anyone she's ever trusted herself to in the past_.'

_You let Kouga get to you, didn't you?_ Kurama's hand turned, resting on Kagome's stomach in a strangely natural gesture of affection as his thumb brushed a gentle caress back and forth down the line of her ribcage.

'_That's ridiculous_.'

_Is it?_ Kurama prodded sternly. _Don't act like I couldn't feel what you were feeling, Youko_. _You didn't like what he had to say, but_… _are you worried? Is that what's wrong with you?_

'_That's even more ridiculous_,' Youko growled at him, warning him away from that line of questioning.

_We're going to talk about this later, Youko, you can't get out of it_, Kurama gritted his teeth against the old wish to have his alter-ego in a separate body so he could pick him up and shake the answers out of him. _We're supposed to be working together_. _We feel the same way, don't we? Or are you going to keep trying to pretend you don't feel anything when we think about-?_

'_I said not _now,' Youko's lip curled up off his fangs as the train eased to a stop. '_This is not the time to speak of these things_,_ we need to be alert to learn the feel of unfamiliar surroundings_.'

_Don't lecture me, I know what we need to do_, Kurama shot back as Kagome laced her fingers with his and squeezed, bringing him back to the present to exit onto the platform. _Stop trying to pick a fight because you're feeling unsettled_, _I'm not going to play stress relief for you right now_.'

'_But you do it so well_,' Youko couldn't resist altering the tone of his voice just to feel the way it made Kurama's eye twitch. '_Now focus_. _If I allow you to distract us and cause difficulty for Kagome, I'll never forgive you_.'

"Do you always visit this shrine first when you come here?" Kurama tuned Youko out, tightening his hold on Kagome's hand to be sure they weren't separated in the crowd.

Kagome smiled at him, starting to answer when Kouga stepped out of the train and drew her attention back to him with a rather imperious hand gesture. She stroked her thumb over Kurama's in a silent show that she wasn't ignoring him, and intended to answer even as she leaned up to whisper something in the wolf lord's ear that Kurama couldn't catch.

Kouga nodded, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead despite the low growl of warning Youko managed to slip past Kurama, "I'll see you at the hotel, Kagome. Be safe."

"I will," she murmured before pasting a bright smile on her face for the harassed looking wolves dragging bags out behind them. "Bye Ginta, Hakkaku! Thank you for helping with everything."

"Ah, of course, Nee-san!" Hakkaku puffed up his chest proudly, the long-suffering look quickly banished from his face under her attention. "You can count on us."

"Be careful!" Ginta added hurriedly when she laughed and pulled Kurama along behind her towards the stairs. "We'll be waiting, Nee-san!"

Kagome waved back at them one more time before threading into the crowd, bending and moving without ever coming in contact with any of the distracted travelers, dragging the kitsune along behind her with ease.

Kouga finally let out a heavy sigh as she disappeared from sight, folding his arms over his chest as he looked at both Ginta and Hakkaku before moving his questioning gaze down to the wolf, "What do you think? Should we let him live to try and take her from me?"

The wolf whined and pushed his head against Kouga's hip while the latter frowned back in the direction Kagome had gone, openly showing his concern as he murmured more to himself than the others, "A kitsune." __

"He seems a little different," Ginta offered hesitantly, not entirely sure how far he should take his opinion in front of Kouga where the delicate topic was concerned. "He was… well, he was thinking of her health, and he seemed serious about it?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama said he passed up hearing about the jewel just to see her," Hakkaku added hastily when Ginta shot him a pleading look. "He might not be like the others?"

Kouga was silent, standing in that same position as the train moved on and the crowd on the platform thinned out. Finally shaking his head, he raked a hand through his hair impatiently, swearing under his breath as he shook off his disturbing thoughts and motioned for them to follow, "We'll see."

………

Kurama let his own instincts prevent any embarrassing collisions in their strangely energetic escape from the station. At first he'd admittedly been worried to see her exerting herself so quickly, but after a moment or two had passed without incident and Kagome seemed even more awake, he let it go. The decision leaving him free to more closely observe the way his little miko moved around so many humans. Her eyes were alert, sweeping her surroundings continuously in a search for potential dangers or filing away the details of their current environment. And she was walking lightly, not the relaxed stride of the other humans he'd been around by a long shot… it was more like-?

'_She's walking like a hunter_,' Youko supplied. '_Or someone who's used to sneaking around creatures with hypersensitive hearing_.'

_Like an inu_.

'_That would do it_,' Youko smirked and nodded his agreement of the observation. '_Shiori-kun was right about the way she looks at humans though_. _Her eyes are sad, and you can feel how tense she is_.'

_She probably doesn't feel that she belongs with them anymore_, Kurama's gaze invariably started to trail down the line of her back when he noticed the way her shirt was trying to ride up with each step. _Finding out you have powers in a society that no longer believes you exist can be difficult_, his hand practically itched to slip under that miniscule barrier to play across the bare skin he'd only had a chance to enjoy infrequently.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Kurama was snapped from his reverie with a jolt, snatching his free hand back to Youko's loud disapproval.

"No, I don't always visit the Shrine first when I come here," there was a sparkle in her eyes that made him suspicious, something that impossibly suggested she had known exactly what his hand had been reaching for. "I haven't been in much too long, actually, that's why it's first."

"Are you still tired?" he let himself relax more when they broke away from the main street, following as she led him down the less traveled alleys and towards the forests he could feel around them with the ease of someone who was absolutely certain of their destination.

"Not anymore," Kagome shook her head, absently reaching up to push her hair out of her face when the breeze kicked up and chuckling softly to herself with the rose around her throat took it as a cue to pull the entire mass back in a low ponytail. "Sorry to have been passed out on you like that for such a long time. Not exactly the most flattering thing to do to a guy, hm?"

"It's more flattering that you trust me so much to sleep that deeply with me," Kurama assured smoothly, a faint smile of triumph chasing across his lips when he saw the color rise in her cheeks. Pulling her to a stop before she could exit the private space between buildings, he tugged her back enough to wrap his other arm around her waist and rub his cheek against hers, "You are beautiful when you're sleeping in my arms."

The tension practically melted out of her when the feel of his youki curled so intimately and possessively around her body, forcing Kagome to close her eyes as the urge to sink into him filled her, _Damn_. _My balance is all wrong for this_…_I can't do this now_.

Kurama lightly nipped the corner of her jaw before leaning back enough press another kiss just behind her ear as he explained the reasons behind the agitation she had obviously picked up on, "I was frustrated, listening to that wolf speaking of you so familiarly when you and I haven't had the time to become as close as we should."

Kagome slowly crossed her arms to cover his, tilting her head back to rub under her chin before his youki could reach a level she'd be unable to resist drawing in under her current state, "Kouga's changed a lot over the years… but not that much. Don't take that 'my woman' thing too seriously."

'He _intends for us to take it seriously, and that means we need to be alert for his interference_,' Youko contradicted that even as he was blending together to really feel the way she shivered when he traced her earlobe with the tip of his tongue. '_But if Kagome is the one reassuring us that we have no reason for concern regarding his claim, we don't have to be as cautious of their relationship when forming our own_.'

"I must admit, that is good to hear," Kurama released her wrist in favor of holding her even closer, fitting her back to his body with an ease that had Youko nearly purring in approval. "Hearing such an open declaration of love towards you was somewhat… disconcerting."

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle, easily able to picture what the conversation had been like between the two given Kouga's track record and Kurama's personality, "It used to piss Inuyasha off like you wouldn't believe that Kouga could yell out that he loved me no matter who was there to hear it. It made him more insecure, and Kouga can smell weakness."

"What did you yell back?" Kurama couldn't help but relax at the light sound of her laughter despite the irritating subject matter.

"To watch his head before it got taken off by the Gokurakuchou," she shifted her weight to turn her cheeky smile on him, ducking out of his arms when he let out a huff at her answer. "C'mon. I don't want to make them wait too long for us when they really do have business to see to."

'_The Gokurakuchou are _only_ in Makai now, and have never crossed the barrier_,' Youko frowned at the insinuation that she knew exactly what those youkai were. '_They've kept to themselves ever since_-'

_Ever since the wolves nearly obliterated them_, Kurama made a sound of understanding even as he caught hold of Kagome's hand again, forcing her to remain in the alley a moment longer. _Why would they take her so deeply into Makai that she faced those creatures?_

'_Kouga's doing, no doubt about it_,' Youko didn't sound the least bit pleased by that. '_But how are they getting her back and forth without that idiot in Reikai being alerted to a human crossing into Makai? Not to mention, how are _they_ crossing the barriers_.'

"It's this way, Kurama," Kagome tugged at his hand, trying to pull him out of the alley again as she pointed to the trees on the opposite side of the side street.

Shaking off the rising questions for a later time, he refocused on the more important issue Youko was whispering him to clarify before they gave in and let her lead the way towards this shrine. "Do you think he truly loves you?"

"Of course," Kagome shrugged, sighing in resignation when she recognized the determined glint in his eyes. _Suddenly, I'm glad I spent so much time with Shippou_, she could help but admit to herself as she brushed his hair out of his eyes in a gesture of casual affection to settle his instincts away from what he was perceiving as a threat. "Comfortable love, Kurama, and he is a very dear friend to me. There's never been any question in his devotion, even though we've never been that way."

"Then why allow him to call you his?" Youko tilted his head, genuinely curious as to her reasoning even as he relaxed at hearing she'd never been intimate with the wolf.

"Because I might not be in love with him, but he still has a piece of me that I would never take back," Kagome smiled softly, stretching up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Now can we talk about this later, Kurama? Please?"

'_Say yes_,' Youko urged despite his own frustration at the vague justification. '_Don't push her_.'

_I _know_ that_, Kurama very nearly rolled his eyes, resisting the urge as he drew Kagome forward into the circle of his arms yet again to feel her slide her hand up his back and pull him closer with a smile he could feel through his shirt. "I would like to be honest about this, about what I want between you and me," he explained his need to question her quietly in her ear. "That's the only reason I ask."

"Shippou would have a heart-attack and disown you for your kind if he knew you were having jealous pangs over a wolf," Kagome whispered right back, bursting out in laughter when he mock growled and hoisted her up high against his chest.

"Jealous pangs?" green eyes flashed gold, and the unease completely vanished from his expression under an amused smirk when he took in the devilish gleam making her eyes sparkle an even more vivid blue. '_Oh she's starting early to tease us so soon_.'

Kagome pasted on a thoughtful look, "Well you know-"

Kurama snorted, giving her a firm squeeze before dropping her back to her feet and linking their hands as he finally led them out across the street towards the woods, "I'll make sure you pay for that while we're here, smartass."

She bit down hard on her lip, attempting in vain to stave off the wide smile, "Oh?"

He shot her a look full of promise over his shoulder, "You're a rather small person, you know. You should consider how easily I could restrain you."

"I should have pegged you for the bondage sort when I woke up from that dream wrapped up in your present," Kagome let out an exaggerated sigh, snickering behind her hand when his fluid stride jarred slightly. "That wasn't funny, you know. I'm still mad at you for it."

Youko's smile turned wicked where she couldn't see it, '_Ah, I knew she would be perfect_. _Silly lover_… _does she really think we believe her?_'

_If it makes her feel better, we can afford to let her think we do_, Kurama absently held out a hand to encourage the brush to pull away when they reached the edge of the faint path. "This way?"

"Yes," Kagome brushed past him to take the lead again. "Don't worry, it's not far. Sesshoumaru's family has always been big on hiding things in plain sight."

Kurama shook his head and couldn't help but chuckle, "It's a good strategy. Has he ever thought of becoming a thief?"

"Sesshoumaru?" her voice readily displayed the non-existent chance of that. "Hardly. If he sees something he wants, he takes it, and he's powerful enough that he can do it. If he really wants to, that is."

"What do you mean?" he couldn't help but look around them into the trees, expanding his youki when he noticed the feel of humanity starting to filter out of their surroundings the deeper she guided him along the path. _Here too_… _the empty feeling over purification_…

"Sesshoumaru has always had his own agenda," Kagome explained distractedly, slowing as she reached out and brushed her fingertips over one of the trees. The audible crackle brought his gaze around in time to see the jump of pale violet energy from her hand to the bark, watching it trace the shape of a holy spell just before the air in front of them shimmered and pulled open to show the barrier he couldn't feel or see. "Sometimes what he says he means isn't what he really means. That might not make sense, but he plans farther ahead than any creature I've ever known. Everything he says, everything he does is all to get the end he wants, even if it means one or two small 'failures' along the way."

"He's a tactician," Youko answered, following her description with ease as they expanded their own youki to feel the barrier more directly as they passed through it. '_Holy fuck_,' he shivered and pulled back deep into their soul in reflex so rapidly that Kurama stumbled for a split second. '_That's_-'

"This is the strongest holy barrier I've ever felt," Kurama finished the thought in awe, reaching out his free hand curiously to watch the ki wind around it, sparking and warming the skin searchingly as it read into him. _This should be eating us_.

"That's why I can't bring you any farther than the gates," Kagome gave him a squeeze as she tossed an apologetic smile over her shoulder when she felt the intrusion into the energy around them, carefully guiding it to accept the kitsune's presence. "I can pull this into myself and make sure it doesn't hurt you here on the path, but it's even stronger from the inside. I don't want you to be purified by accident."

"Is it difficult to draw in power this intense?" Kurama frowned at the thought that she might be exhausting herself unnecessarily with his presence.

Kagome winked at him, "Hence, my napping."

He nearly stopped in surprise, only a light pull from her keeping him moving as he stared down at her, "Then it was for me?"

'_Do something to show her how much that means to us, Kurama_,' Youko ordered in one of the sternest tones he'd heard from the kitsune in a long time. '_Something special, and soon_, _while this is fresh in her mind_.'

"You wanted to come with me," she nodded, coming to a stop and reaching out to move several low hanging branches aside to the right of the path when Kurama's hand lightly touched her shoulder. She glanced back at him, thinking he was calling her on being untruthful before and defending, "I'm being honest about being up late and handling Shippou on a chocolate buzz, but I wouldn't have slept so late if you weren't coming too. I didn't want to make a mistake because I was tired."

"Let me," Kurama shook his head to deny her idea as to why he'd stopped her. Seeing his chance to impress their gratitude on her, he took a step forward and pressed his chest lightly against her back again, stretching to press his palm over her hand. Saying a quick prayer that he wasn't making a mistake to do this around so much holy magic, he let their youki flow out through her hand before meticulously controlling it to let her feel how they guided their energy to direct the trees into moving aside for her.

Kagome sucked in a sharp breath, eyes flashing and hand reflexively closing in a fist to try and hold that sensation in when it snaked straight to the center of her soul, _O-oh_. _Oh gods, it_… _why does he feel like this to me?_

'_Yes_,' Youko's chest expanded in pride, pouring more of himself carefully into the mix when he felt her pulse leap. '_Ah, Kurama, you do so make me proud to keep you around sometimes_.'

Kurama felt safe enough to roll his eyes at the kitsune's arrogance this time, easing the flow of his youki down at an even place to protect against shocking her purification powers. Dragging his fingertips up her skin in a ghosting caress once he had finished, he waited for her to react even as he purposely increased the seduction in his voice to whisper softly in her ear, "There is no plant that won't bow to you when you're with me, Kagome. Allow me to show you that when we are in situations such as this for everything you do thinking of my comfort."

It was so very hard to take that first step away from him, nearly impossible to hold her aura calm with the excess of youki inside her hungrily reaching for the intoxicating feel of Kurama's power so close and so open to her. Her soul was whispering to her, the potential in absorbing even a little of him… there was no telling how much of the taint she could push from the nature around her, how much she could restore to the condition she had loved in the past.

Kurama could feel a stirring of dark satisfaction that had nothing to do with Youko's own significant level of pleasure filling him at the shaky breath she drew in, hungrily soaking in the way she swayed a moment on her feet before taking control of herself again and steadying. _I think we may have underestimated how sensitive she is to the way our youki feel to her_.

'_Not a mistake we will repeat_,' Youko nudged him gently to extend their hand and rest it on the small of her back in a gesture of both support and possession. '_I want her, Kurama_. _I want her soul to ache for me_.'

_Us_.

"It's… up ahead," Kagome didn't look at him, swallowing hard and pressing one hand to her stomach to settle the clamor inside her down to a more docile state. "You can see the wall from here. Through the trees."

Kurama followed along behind her docilely, openly preening to himself over seeing such a blatant, favorable reaction to the use of his youki, _She _is _perfect for us, isn't she? _

'_And to think you would have missed her without me_,' Youko chuckled, unaware of the particular gleam in their eyes as they watched the way she moved so naturally through their favorite element. Still, he perked up from his serious mood when a thought struck him, and he poked at Kurama in excitement, '_You know_… _I bet she'd be willing to have sex in the woods with us_. _Can you imagine the kind of energy we'd pull in off that?_'

Kurama bit down unintentionally on his tongue at the sudden wash of images being supplied by Youko's overactive imagination, fisting his hands so tightly he was almost surprised the skin across his knuckles didn't split, _Do you have to think about this _now?!

Youko flashed him a look that was disturbingly innocent under the wicked amusement Kurama could easily feel coming from him, '_What?_'

Kurama sighed in exasperation, shaking off the erotic fantasies with effort as the trees abruptly stopped at the wall Kagome had indicated, frowning when he noted that it looked more like something one would find at an ancient fort than a temple. Confused, he glanced at Kagome, waiting for her to look at him before putting the question into his expression.

"It was the outer wall back when this was still a working home," Kagome smiled and explained, walking up the wall easily and reaching out to rest her hand on the blessings carved into the wood. "The shrine was built after it was destroyed in a fire, and the property has belonged to our family since that for centuries. Sesshoumaru and the others kept it safe, and now… now it protects something very important to me."

_It has to be her husband's grave_, Kurama started to step forward, only to jerk back when his senses screamed in warning to pull away or risk something extremely painful. _Shit_,_ that's as far as we can go?_

'_She wasn't kidding_,' Youko tilted his head to one side, fantasizing pushed to the back of his mind as he regarded the barrier in front of them critically. '_I don't think I could break this_. _I've never felt this kind of energy concentration except in the most extreme shrines and hold grounds_. _But still, there's a level to this that tastes different_.'

"Are you sure you'll be all right alone?" Kurama couldn't help but ask, not liking the certainty in Youko's voice that this was a barrier they wouldn't be able to get through if anything should happen.

Kagome smiled back at him, coming back out of the barrier and motioning him to bend down so she could kiss his forehead in the same gesture he recognized she used for other youkai in her family, "Trust me, this isn't the first time I've been here and it won't be the last. But it's sweet that you're worried."

"Last time we were separated by a barrier, you were hurt," he reminded her, unable to stop the way their soul warmed under so obvious a sign of acceptance deeper into her affections.

"Anything trying to open a portal from Makai to this temple would rip their soul out backwards the instant it formed," she assured him and stepped back to the carving, pushing against it until the heavy clack of a latch deep inside the wood had Kurama flinching back from the volume of the grating sound. The wall let out a groaning creak, seams appearing on the logs as a door formed and swung open just wide enough for her to squeeze through, "I'll be right back, Kurama. I promise."

Kurama shoved his hands down in his pockets, taking a step back until he could lean against a tree to wait as she disappeared through the narrow opening, frowning when the door closed immediately, seamlessly behind her, _I'm not sure I like her being alone where I can't reach her, even if it is a shrine_.

'_I fucking hate it, but that barrier won't let anything else in either_,' Youko sighed, flopping back as he resigned himself to waiting as well. '_All we can do is trust her right now_. _She deserves it from us if we want her to give us the same_.'

Kurama sighed, looking up at the sky, _I do trust her_, _but it doesn't change that I don't feel right when she's not where I know she's safe_.__

………

Kagome paused as soon as the wall closed behind her, wincing at the echoing sound of the wood falling back into place as it bounced repeatedly off the empty courtyard spread out in front of her. The silence that settled around her was nearly oppressive, pushing in on her aura and feeding off her agitation to amplify it back at her as she lifted her hand to let the protective spells seep into her. Splaying her fingers, Kagome released her hold on the excessive youki to let it wind around and around her soul just as possessively as the taiyoukai she'd pulled it from, openly revealing just who had entered the shrine.

_You feel it_,_ don't you? The need returns to you when your soul touches this holy place, doesn't it, miko?_

Kagome opened her eyes, not bothering to hide the way they steadily cleared into the intense, wholly inhuman blue. Whispers rose from the spirits she could feel left behind all around her, filling her mind as she straightened her spine and started across the courtyard towards the single building set in the center of the property.

_What are you hoping to gain in coming here?_ _What is it that you think you can find?_

Her aura expanded as she brought her hands down into her pockets with a casualness she was far from feeling. She closed her eyes when the first tracing of fingers brushed across her soul, spiraling around her in time with the whispers until the feeling began to split into even more, tugging and dragging at her in their curiosity to feel her.

_Do you think this_ _will work?_

The whispers gained clarity, murmuring comfort, promises, praise… things she had heard so many times from so many just like them as she reached the shoji separating the actual shrine from the rest of the property. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she reached out and pressed her fingertips to the wood, silently sliding it open to let her step inside.

The voices instantly disappeared when the shoji closed behind her, encasing her with dim silence in the empty antechamber, and Kagome let her head drop back against the wood as she took a moment to collect her thoughts. The feel of the discouragement had seemed different, impersonal for some reason… probably an echo placed on the grounds long before she had returned. Briefly she wondered if Sesshoumaru had orchestrated some sort of spell to anyone who made it to the inner grounds, but quickly moved that to the back of her mind for a later time.

As soon as her eyes opened, Kagome started to find herself staring at a simple, black kimono now hanging on the inner shoji and frowned at the blatant suggestion. But even so, she was already habitually stepping out of her shoes and reaching for the hem of her shirt to pull it off, the tradition and habits ingrained to deeply to ignore now. She shook her head but quickly, respectfully changed her attire, not in the least surprised to find both layers of the kimono the same shade of unrelenting black.

The rose letting out a faint purr and gathering her hair up on top of her head in a careful bun brought a smile to her face in the face of her disquiet. Stroking her fingers over the vine in gratitude as it threaded to its favorite place in holding that style and settled back down obediently at her urging. The light-hearted moment was gone as quickly as it had come, however, and she straightened her spine as soon as she'd tied the obi into place. Silently reaching out to pull open the shoji to the expansive main hall, Kagome stepped into the room and carefully eased the sliding screen closed as her eyes searched the interior for any changes.

It was still mostly bare. Unnatural blue fire lit a symmetrical path from the door to the altar on its dais at the far end, while it cast the folding, painted shoji flanking either side into deeper shadows. They were the only decoration the room had to offer, simple and unchanged as she turned her gaze from side to side to see the ofuda still marking thicker beams at each dark corners in the room.

Miroku's ofuda.

Kagome stood perfectly still, only tilting her head as she waited until the energy in the room had stirred, seeming to sigh and gather back in on itself in recognition. Satisfied when the flames making the path to the altar had brightened in invitation and the thick ki reached out to tug at her hands in an effort to draw her closer, Kagome stepped down to the floor and walked toward the raised dais.

The closer she came, the more she could feel the air thicken, the sense of awareness and recognition growing stronger with every step she took. The lights leading towards the exit of the room began to dim as she passed, obviously wanting her to continue as she approached the grave marker imbedded in the side of the altar.

She paused in front of the dais, staring at the intricate lines of carving that hadn't worn in the slightest despite the length of time that had passed with a sort of serene nostalgia until her senses hummed with the awareness of another soul watching her in silence. Kagome felt the spark of ki chase across the ground in front of her, dropping her gaze only to let out a short, humorless laugh when she saw the kneeling pillow that had appeared in place. Still, she gracefully lowered herself to it, tucking her feet beneath her and lifting one hand in a prayer pose as her eyes closed.

The rustle of silk behind her was the first audible indication her silent companion had moved, sensing the approaching steps as that gathering ki finally collected enough to solidify as it came to a stop directly behind her. A sense of calm washed over her as her hand lowered to her lap, opening her eyes to stare at the name engraved so carefully on the bone marker on the altar as she addressed her silent watcher.

"Hello, Naraku."


	47. Fractured Purpose

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Now that I've set my briefcase on fire (as Som can attest to), and resisted the urge to throw the whole computer out the window (see Kazusa for that one) I took bit and finished going through this chapter. –makes a face- At any rate, I was assured that a chapter being "too long" was not a bad thing and because of that, I'm posting it as is rather than chopping it in half. Heh heh… I wondered how many people were going to be thrown for a loop with that ending, and I'm sure you're anxious to find out what's going on.

For my love-loves, I must –as always- tell you all how very much I do adore you. All my junkies, buddies, reviewers, and readers… not to mention how much fun I've had with the emails I've received and the people who just bounce up to talk to me. LOL, it's tons of fun and it never fails to brighten my days so much. I love hearing what you're enjoying in the story, and I absolutely adore the people who are nice enough to help me out here and there when I'm too tired to catch everything. But again, I ramble… so I'll let you get right into it.

.........

By Any Other Name

-Fractured Purpose-

_Kagome slowed to a stop when she reached a slight break in the foliage, brows drawing low in a bemused frown as the mists threading about her ankles thickened_. _The shadows closed in around her through the thick trees, blocking even the faintest hint of light from the distant campfire. Not that it mattered much anymore, but still- Kagome pressed one hand over her heart and stared up through the thick branches allowing nothing but the soft glow of waning moonlight to filter through them_. _She could feel it stronger here, the aching pull, the crying deep inside her soul to search and finish the aborted bond_…

_They were calling her to this place_.

"_I knew you would come to me_."

_Kagome froze, subconsciously gritting her teeth at the heavy pulse echoing through her aura the instant that silky whisper intruded on her senses_. _Her aura flared in the same bizarre response she'd had suffered through once before, but even she could tell it was still muted and weak from her half-healed wounds_.

"_I knew you could hear them crying for you_," _the shadows in front of her darkened, taking on the shape of an all too familiar silhouette coming closer_. _The thick jyaki pulled away from him slowly, wisping tendrils curling here and there as it revealed him little by little until they were standing less than six feet apart_. __

"_The feel of you is what makes them cry_," _Kagome forced herself to stand proudly in front him, fisting her hands at her sides as she tamped down every instinct she had regarding the creature in front of her_. _But… something was wrong_. _Something was different this time_…

_Naraku chuckled softly, the pale moonlight making his skin almost luminous as he brushed his wavy hair back over his shoulder in an elegant motion_, "_You may be able to fool the senses of your _'companions,' _my dear, but I would appreciate it if you not patronize me in the same way_."

_Kagome's brows drew together suspiciously at the almost friendly way he was addressing her_, _sliding one foot back as though readying herself for escape should it prove necessary_, "_I don't know what you're talking about_, _Naraku_."

"_You can do better than that, Kagome_," _Naraku's eyes flashed in the darkness, giving her the urge to wrap her arms around her torso under the sudden sensation of having her very soul stripped bare under his gaze_.

__"_You know my name?_" _as soon as the words were spoken, she bit down hard on her lip and wished for all the world that she could take them back_.

_Naraku's eyes lit up with genuine amusement, giving his beautiful face a softer expression than she had ever imagined he would be capable of… or hoped to ever see_, "_Did you actually think that after all this time I wouldn't have such simple information? I am not as stupid as that_."

"_You've never said it before_," _Kagome tried to cover the foolish words, turning her face aside in an effort to hide the blush she could feel darkening her cheeks_.

"_I have known you from the start_," _Naraku murmured after letting her fidget in silence for a moment_, _waiting for her startled gaze to snap back to him before he continued_. "_My eyes are always watching, you know_. _I make it a priority to know which of my opponents embodies the greatest threat to what I wish to achieve_."

"_How could I forget?_" _Kagome's surprise and embarrassment disappeared so quickly she would have been confused had the situation been any less unstable_. _Her gaze hardened, reflexively lifting one hand to her throat to touch the pinpoint scars she still carried from some of his earliest efforts to remove her_. "_I'm too pure for you even now, aren't I?_"

"_I still have hope that you will prove malleable despite your purity after you allowed yourself to be my eyes_," _he dipped his head in mock-salute to that event_. "_A part of me touched your soul that day, Kagome, something deep inside you that you've hidden from the others_. _From yourself even_-"

"_I pushed that _thing_ out of my soul, Naraku, there is nothing of you left in me_," _Kagome shook her head in a quick, negative motion_ _and turned to leave._ _She was unsure as to why she felt no threat from the deadly hanyou but was unwilling to examine it too closely with his presence pushing in on her like a viscous entity all its own_.__

"_The jewel no longer obeys me_."

_At that whispered admission_,_ Kagome could no more stop herself from twisting around to stare at Naraku than she could have stopped the moon from rising_, "_What?_"

"_You never asked me why I came here, Kagome_," _Naraku tilted his head to one side quizzically, the slow smirk tugging at his lips making her all the more aware of her unnatural pallor in the weak light_. "_It's very telling, isn't it?_"

_A shiver of fear snaked down her spine as she faced the hanyou again, ignorant of the way her own eyes took on a muted glow_, "_Why have you come here?_"

"_Why have you?_" _he countered, taking a gliding step closer to her with one hand outstretched as though intending to touch her face_. _When she slid back away from him, eyes wary and hands poised to summon up what she could of her decreased energy, Naraku chuckled softly and turned his palm up in peace offering to her_. "_You appear less and less human with each passing day, don't you, my beautiful miko?_"

_Kagome's eyes flashed brighter in momentary panic, subtly pressing her hands against her stomach when she felt a flush of foreign energy spilling over into her soul under his accusation_. _She forced her voice to steady, glaring up at him as she ground out angrily_, "_I'm no less human than I've ever been_."

_Naraku's answering smile would have been what she could call soft if not for the chilling light in his scarlet eyes as he took one step, then another until he was close enough that she could feel his youki pressing in even more insistently on her aura_. _She felt trapped, something deep inside her soul beating out of synch with her heart as it started to shift and rise the longer that tainted ki curled around her. It was whispering to her, so many voices_… _and the heat- It felt like thousands of arms trying to wind around her soul all at once_.

"_I can feel you now_."

_Pulling herself up out of the unfamiliar and nearly crushing sensations with effort, Kagome blinked to refocus on that satisfied face looking down at her_, "_No_-"

"_You can feel me too, can't you?_" _Naraku ignored the whisper, catching one of her wrists when she tried to pull away_. "_That's why you came to me alone_. _After all_… _I am the only one who has ever held you for so very long, aren't I? My perfect, beautiful Tama_-"

"NO!" _Kagome wrenched her wrist free, mindless to the hissing burn left behind on both her skin and his as she turned her back to him_. _Her shoulders hunched, bile rising in her throat when she felt the souls inside her grow more defined under her agitation_. _The feel of them roiling about within her made a mockery of her denial, nearly falling to her knees when they began wrapping possessively around her to cling to her soul_._ Still through those nearly suffocating sensations, Kagome could feel them reach towards the stolen shards in Naraku's possession_, _breathing deeply as she forced the words out_. "_I am human, Naraku, don't call me by such a disgusting name_."

"_Lying to yourself will not make it less true_," _Naraku chided gently, reaching out to glide his fingers over the thick curtain of hair hiding her back from his eyes_. _He paused after a complete stroke, brushing the entire mass forward over her shoulder and staring hard at the exposed area. _"_Words are empty, Kagome_," _his eyes narrowed in dark satisfaction as the material of her kimono at the center of her back began to glow and sizzle_. "_I know how the jewel granted the hanyou's wish_."

_Kagome's eyes clenched shut, swallowing hard against the strangely panicked fury rising within her at every word out of his mouth_, "_Don't dare to presume you would know such things, Naraku_."

_Naraku leaned forward, dropping his voice to an intimate whisper in her ear, _"_Then can you explain to me why_ _you _did _come to me alone when I called for you? Why not summon the others as soon as you felt me here watching you? And don't pretend that you were unaware of what you were feeling, Kagome_. _You and I know better_."

"_The jewel gave its power to Inuyasha's wish_," _Kagome forced herself to stand her ground, expending extra energy to attempt to calm the souls before they could exert any more influence on her behavior_. "_Nothing feels the way it used to, not the way you're accusing_. _I can't tell sometimes_."

_Naraku curled two fingers in the back of her kimono where it gapped away from her nape, shouki flowing through them with an angry crackle as he pulled downwards and melted the fabric open_. _He was ready when she gasped and tried to twist away, his free hand clapping down on her bare shoulder and digging into the muscle to hold her still until he reached to obi_. _Leaning back to admire the patterned injury, he let his shouki dissipate as he traced just above the healing wounds in her flesh_, "_I can taste it inside you_."

_Kagome's stomach lurched at his proximity, grinding the heel of one hand against her forehead when the whispers started to tease the edges of her mind clearly enough to pick up actual words_. No… no not now. Please, not now!__

"_I don't know how I had missed it before, but now?_" _he inhaled deeply, giving every indication of savoring whatever he could detect of her diminished scent_. "_Now all that's left beneath this empty illusion, this protection your soul has created for itself, is the feel and the flavor of the Shikon-no-Tama_."

"_It's not true_," _Kagome choked out, tears burning behind her eyes as she tried to will her body to move, to run_. _The night air was cold against the over-heated skin of her back, soothing the fever until the pain began to increase. The whispers in her mind began to grow stronger, mingling and blending until they seemed to gain direction_. _The same voice, that same damned collection she remembered from that day_…

**_You are afraid_**.

"_Why are you fighting so strongly against the truth?_" _Naraku let out an exaggerated sigh, his fingers digging bruisingly tight into her shoulder when she tried to move again_. "_I have told you, my dear, I can feel you_. _We both what you are, what you have become thanks to Inuyasha_."

**_He is the one who stopped us from being complete again when the hanyou gave us our return_**.

_Naraku leaned closer to her until his breath fanned over her ear and sent chills down her spine, _"_I can help you understand your power, Tama_. _No one understands you more than I do, no one else can possibly show you the full potential in your soul now that you are whole_."

"_I'm not whole_," _Kagome whispered, shaking her head as though trying to banish all of them from her thoughts._

**_It's his fault_**. **_He stole pieces of us again_**.

"_You ripped them out of my skin and ran away_," _she tilted her head back, staring up at the fathomless depths of the night sky, mindless to the sparks of ki tracing around the symbols in her skin_.

**_We seem to not have taken enough from him for his soul to know its place_**.

"You _stopped us_," _Kagome brought both her hands up to cover her ears as tears slipped unheeded from the corners of her eyes_.

"_You want them back, don't you?_" _Naraku pulled, turning her unresisting body back around to face him as his eyes gleamed with satisfaction at her inner turmoil_. "_Your soul is hungry, reaching for youki to repair itself, isn't it? It burns inside, doesn't it, Tama? It aches_…"

_Kagome's eyes opened, glassy and inhumanly bright as the paths of his ki brightened to her gaze_. _She could see it reaching for her, bending and swaying almost submissively as it called for the souls inside her to find a matching beat and reach for it, mix with it_, "_They are screaming in your hands_."

**_We must teach him what has changed_**.

"_You should have told me it came from your body from the start,_" _Naraku caught her wrist again, pressing her palm hard against his chest where his kimono fell open enough to allow skin to skin contact_. "_If you had come to me as you should have, shown me the place where the jewel was torn from you, I would have treated you with the care you deserved_."

**_He still dares to think he can control us now that we have restored ourselves_**.

_Kagome's fingers curled, staring with a sort of detached fascination at the snap of her power sparking against the hanyou's skin_. _The purification was raising welts across his flesh, but he didn't so much as bat an eyelash as he dragged her closer until their bodies were nearly touching_. _It felt different, nothing like what she had experienced the other times she reacted naturally to tainted ki_. _Confusion growing, Kagome gave in and tentatively whispered the question to her mind, unsure of what to expect from the voices this time, _What is this feeling?

**_This time we will leave nothing behind_**.

Nothing? What are-? What's happening to me? _Kagome demanded, eyes lifting to look at Naraku on pure reflex as he spoke again_.

"_How do you think I knew to come to this place for you? How I knew that you would answer me by searching for me alone?_" _Naraku pulled her hand harder against his skin, his eyes flashing deep, bone-chilling scarlet as the shadows seemed to come alive. They spread upwards, fanning out through the branches and locking them in their own little world_. "_They have gained voices_, _and when they cry, they cry only for the one they came from_."

_Kagome flinched when she felt his other hand graze her side through the sagging folds of the ruined kimono, perversely grateful it was managing to stay upright and preserve her sense of modesty_. _But that vanished at the jolt of heat searing through her aura when his jyaki clashed against the old scar, the bite from what felt like forever ago_. _The bite that split them apart_.

**_We will take the rest of ourselves back from him, and be finished with this pain he causes you, this fear_**. **We_ will teach you all you need to know now that you belong to us_**. **_You have no need of him_**.

"_You belong with a youkai who understands what it turned you into, Kagome_," _Naraku was dipping his head towards hers, hair sliding forward over his shoulder again to brush against her arm as he increased the enticing pitch to his voice_. "_You belong to me_."

**_We will devour him and the souls he holds_**. **_We'll use him to grow stronger_**.

_Kagome's eyes widened when she saw her hand rapidly pale, the color leeching away until her skin seemed to glow stark white_. _Alarmed and feeling herself sinking into_… _into something, she hissed out in rising anger, _"_Because of you I have these things inside me_. _Because of you_… _this burning_-" Always burning…

**_We will always protect you_**.

"_Inuyasha was the one who made the wish, Tama_," _Naraku smiled down at her, eyes taking on a drowsy look as he willed his flesh to soften_. _Her hand started to sink into him, and he almost moaned at the feeling of his power increasing, sharpening as it filled every last part of his carefully formed body again_, "_He was the one who caused you to be devoured by the jewel_. _Not me_."

**_We will never let them take you from us again_**.

"_Because of you_," _Kagome could feel herself starting to shake, trying and failing to stop the whispers from comforting her as she watched her hand vanishing into Naraku's chest_, "_we don't even know what we are anymore_."

_Naraku's smile widened at the change in the plural way she referred to herself, radiating with almost feral triumph as he swept his free arm around her to pin her against his chest_. "_You are mine, Tama_. _You have always been mine_. _Release yourself into me and I will give you everything you've ever wanted_. _I'll teach you how to control your power_."

_Kagome's entire arm was starting to burn with the most searing cold she had ever felt, the shaking growing worse despite the odd calm sensation filling her with each heavy pulse of her aura_. _When her mouth opened again, she felt the souls inside her rise to a fever pitch and overwhelm her, taking control to speak through her voice, _"_Release them to us_."

_Naraku chuckled, splaying his palm open to cover the symbol on her back as best he could, inhaling as the injuries began to seep and release the scent of her blood into the night_, "_They are waiting for you inside me, Tama_. _Come and take them if you wish to find your completion_."

_Kagome's expression wiped blank of any emotions, her eyes glittering in the darkness as her other hand lifted and abruptly plunged into his chest beside the other, _"_Then open yourself for us_."

_Naraku tilted his head back under the abrupt flood of rising ki, granting her better access as she pressed forward_. _His jyaki wound around her tightly to draw her in more completely when she started to pause. The intoxicating feel of his power increasing so dramatically returned, restoring all the sensations that had been excruciatingly absent ever since the hanyou's wish had removed the jewel from his hands_. _His eyes closed, lips parting on a sigh the further she absorbed into him when she was suddenly ripped from his arms, jarring his soul so fiercely he nearly went to his knees_.

_Kagome reeled back into herself, choking out a scream of pain and fury as her spine arched under the uncontrolled excess still fighting to bond together inside her_. _She could feel the jyaki knifing its way through her soul, searching out holes and gaps she hadn't even known where there as it tried to distribute itself through her_. _She could taste blood, letting out a cry of distress when the jyaki settled in to place and failed to complete the gaps or the emptiness she could feel_._ Only the shout reaching her ears from what seemed so very far away stopped her from lashing out violently against whatever it was that had stopped her from retrieving the last of her missing pieces_.

"Kagome! _Kagome, look at me_," _he pleaded in a harsh whisper, hands stroking over her hair and face in near desperation_. "_Please, look at me! Stay awake, Kagome, you have to stay awake!_"

_Her eyes opened, subconsciously reaching up to brush shaking, translucent fingers over the frightened face above her in disjointed confusion_, "_Inuyasha?_"

"_I'm here, I'm right here_," _Inuyasha swept her up in his arms, his panic passing in on her hypersensitive aura with almost dizzying force as he nearly crushed her against his chest, rocking her back and forth like an infant_. "_It's okay now, I've got you_."

"_Inuyasha_. _Help_…_me_…"

………

"It has been a long time, my Tama," Naraku's voice pulled Kagome out of the memory, drawing her attention beside her to the self-made hanyou bowing to the altar in mock respect. His black shouki seeped up out of the floor to form another pillow as he gracefully lowered himself to kneel close enough that he could have leaned and brushed against her, "You have left me to wonder what became of you after you destroyed me."

"There was no reason for me to come before now," Kagome swallowed hard, using Sesshoumaru's borrowed ki to restore her equilibrium from the unsettling flush of memory until her aura had settled back into a more peaceful state.

"You could have come to assuage my fears that you had vanished from this realm altogether," Naraku's eyes moved over her leisurely, obviously soaking in every nuance and change in her appearance.

"You should be so lucky," Kagome snorted dryly.

"The pleasure of your company then?" his lips kicked up in the barest hint of a smile as he stretched out one hand to trace the characters for his name in a way that suggested it had become something of a habit over time. "Bringing peace to what you left of me in this place?"

"You couldn't release your emotions into death, Naraku, don't think I have any guilt regarding this remnant of what you were," Kagome lifted one hand in an almost regal gesture to stop him from continuing. "It's your selfishness and the strength of your emotions that holds you here."

"Perhaps it is," Naraku shrugged nonchalantly, rising up on his knees to more easily turn and face her side before settling back down with fluid elegance. "I can see that you have finally lost the last spark of humanity that was within your soul, Tama. Have you managed to make peace with what you have become after all?"

"Mortality and humanity are different, Naraku," she shook her head, but followed the "suggestion" and adjusted her own position to a more casual face-to-face. "But yes, we are at peace with what we are now."

"Your soul is no longer as hungry as I recall," he reached out, hand hovering just above the skin of her cheek as though forcefully restraining himself from closing that distance between them. "I can no longer feel the confusion, or the battle raging inside you the way it used to be."

"Sesshoumaru is very good to me," Kagome dipped her head to acknowledge the roundabout praise to her condition, sighing at the unmistakable spark of jealousy that chased through those scarlet eyes at the mention of the taiyoukai. It was enough that some part of her mind that wanted nothing more than to torture him prodded her to make that subtle dig even a little deeper, "But then, even you thought he was perfect. You did try to steal his body for yourself."

"If I had succeeded, perhaps all that beautiful loyalty you hold for him would have been mine instead," Naraku tilted his head to one side, drawing one hand down over his heart in a meaningful gesture.

"It doesn't matter what face you're wearing, Naraku," Kagome shook her head in denial to that possibility. "Your soul is incapable of tempting me."

"Five hundred years have not changed your mind?" Naraku arched one eyebrow in arrogant question, leaning forward until her ki began to spark in warning. "The taiyoukai may be the most powerful creature you have ever given yourself to, Kagome, but he cannot give you the things that I could have given you."

Kagome held up a hand, smiling darkly when he retreated quickly from the possibility of making contact, "I've already taken everything I wanted from you."

The anger in his expression was gone as quickly as it had appeared as Naraku very obviously composed himself. They stared at each other in silence for several minutes until his eyes filled with suspicion. Tilting his head, he regarded her more critically through a narrowed glare until his brows lifted fractionally in realization, "Ahh, _that_ is what is different about you… there is another soul in your eyes. You've come to show me that you've taken on a new carrier."

"A hybrid," Kagome didn't even bother to deny it. "I absorbed into him a few days ago, but he has only just accepted me. You're right though, he _is_ new. And he wasn't born until after we had become legends."

"I see. Your youngest yet then," Naraku chuckled and let his hands rest on his thighs in a more relaxed position. "But I can taste his jyaki, Tama. This hybrid seems just as blood-thirsty as the rest of us who have succeeded in holding you have been. You must admit your tastes in the souls you attach to run a little strangely for someone with your level of purity. However, I am curious-"

Kagome smiled, sitting back on her heels as she took her time regarding the creature in front of her, "Don't bother asking. I won't bring him to meet a ghost just to assuage your boredom."

"But you _have _brought me a strange kitsune," Naraku challenged, his face taking on a shrewd look as he puzzled over what he could see and feel from her before he decided on the next question to ask. "Well, well… a soul that you haven't tasted? Not even a little? Tell me then, what are you intending to do with him if he has been allowed to come so close to this place?"

"I am not intending to absorb him," Kagome folded her hands into the voluminous sleeves of her kimono. She hesitated before answering, thinking over what she truly wanted to say before giving in and admitting, "He is… someone who is becoming special to me."

Genuine surprise lit in Naraku's eyes, "A kitsune?"

Kagome couldn't stop herself from letting out an exasperated sound, "Why is that the first thing everyone asks me? Yes, I _do _have a grasp on exactly what kind of youkai he is."

"Kitsune are notorious for their selfish behavior, Tama, I'm merely surprised that you're so willing to risk repeating the past after how fervently you assured me you would avoid those risks at all costs," Naraku didn't seem the least bit phased by her flash of temper, leaning back as his shouki formed something of a nest of pillows for him to lounge on more casually. "You say so quickly that you're not intending to absorb him, but even you must admit that it may become necessary in the end."

"If it comes to that, I won't hesitate," Kagome's gaze slanted guiltily back towards the doors leading out of the shrine. "But he doesn't know what I am."

Naraku's laughter was practically delighted, "Why my dearest Tama, I don't believe I have ever been more proud of you than I am right now! How deceptive you have become in your old age."

"I'm not as old as you think I am," Kagome countered with a warning frown.

Naraku gave her an arch look, "I have not lost my intelligence since we last spoke, Tama, or my perception. You forget who you are speaking with if you think that I can be fooled as easily as the others you have chosen to associate yourself with."

"What's that supposed to mean, Naraku?" her eyes narrowed sharply.

He leaned forward, smiling up at her like a lord admiring a favored lover, "It means that regardless of what you tell yourself, I can still tell when you are lying. You may not be as ancient as Sesshoumaru, no, but you are also not as young as you wish for them to think you are. Not any longer."

Kagome could feel the blood drain from her face under his knowing smirk, clenching her fists and scowling at him, "How do you-?"

"Know that?" Naraku finished when her voice failed her. "I am still the one who has held you longest, Kagome. The taiyoukai is trying to break my record, but you seem to enjoy pretending it doesn't matter how long you were in my hands before you became what you are now. It was easier for me to feel your soul trapped in limbo considering my current plane of existence."

Kagome gritted her teeth, sighing deeply as she turned her gaze back to the altar, "It would only upset them if they found out the second wish didn't send me back as quickly as they thought."

Naraku chuckled, languidly propping his chin up on an upraised palm as he regarded her with piercing intensity, "How very fortunate then for you to have such a captive audience to play confidant for you regarding such bothersome matters. Of course, you hold the added bonus of being the only living or non-living being capable of walking these grounds… aside from your dear husband, that is."

"Miroku has been here?" Kagome's attention snapped back to him at the information.

"It wasn't a long visit. However, he was only too happy to grace me with his newly ascended presence," Naraku's lips twisted in a faintly bitter smile before he lifted his head enough to make a dismissive gesture with his hand. "The houshi only wished to intensify the strength of the barriers he had created. Implementing all the power a god who still retains his connection with the Shikon-no-Tama is capable of."

"Ruining your remaining hopes of finding a way free of this shrine," Kagome smiled at the displeasure she could feel vibrating off him. "What's wrong, Naraku? I would have thought by now you would have been used to being a remnant ghost."

"Restless spirit, my dear," Naraku corrected her with a smirk as his mood quickly shifted back to something more amicable. "I am not such a simple thing as a ghost as you well know. I never will be so long as you exist," he lifted his other hand to rest two fingers just below the hollow of his throat where the carrier's mark remained clear as the day he had gained it. "Or are you forgetting that I remain as I am for you."

"I never forget the feel of a soul I absorb," Kagome took on a warning tone. "I can only hope the memory of it fades with time."

"I could always refresh that memory," his voice dropped to a deeper pitch as he held out a hand in offering.

"Are you still in such a hurry to lose this last aspect of yourself?" she sighed, ignoring his hand in favor of reaching up to absently touch one of the dormant vines holding her hair in place to comfort herself.

Naraku's hand dropped, closing his eyes and choosing to ask another of his own to change their topic rather than answer her question. "What is his name?"

Kagome stared down at him, not bothering to pretend that she misunderstood who he meant. Carefully guarding against giving away more emotion than she wanted him to see, she murmured quietly, "Youko Kurama."

Naraku went perfectly still. Even the shouki in the chamber seemed to pause tensely, gathering back in on its master rapidly as he opened glowing eyes, boring into her as though trying to piece through every layer of her consciousness with his gaze alone. Naraku sat up with exaggerated precision as he continued to regard her with an intensity that would have been disturbing if not for her considerable experience with the twisted hanyou, "Youko Kurama?"

"You've heard of him," Kagome couldn't quite keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Oh yes, I have _heard_ of him. You have your eye on a thieving kitsune, Tama?" he began to chuckle with subtle mockery, softly at first but rapidly gaining volume as he shook his head at his own private thoughts. There was a sinister edge she remembered all too well when he smiled at her next, dropping his chin to watch her through his lashes as he purred out, "How very nice."

Kagome continued to watch him, brow furrowed in confusion over his reaction as she waited for him to expound on the reasons behind it.

Naraku's expression became more earnest as he rose on his knees to emphasize his greater height over her, leaning forward until she was forced to tilt her head all the way back to meet his gaze. "I wonder… _every_ single time that I find myself wondering if it is possible for you to damage my soul any deeper than you have in the past, you return to prove me wrong. To choose a murdering youkai, a thief, and call him someone _special_ to you when you have turned me and my affections for you aside at every turn-"

Kagome's eyes narrowed, rising to her feet to bring herself higher than Naraku again, "There is _no _comparison between you and Kurama."

"The only difference is circumstance," he reached out and cupped her cheek, hissing and jerking what was left of his hand back when the ki destabilized and absorbed into her skin with a heavy pulse.

Kagome's stare lost every trace of warmth, glowing deep blue with the spike in her own ki when the souls inside her roused to the familiar taste seeping into her. "Be careful, Naraku. You're forgetting how deeply you made the souls inside me crave you. Or rather… crave absorbing every last piece of you for daring to interrupt our completion and come after us again."

Naraku frowned sharply, standing as his shouki spiraled up his torso to curl and twine around his body until it reached the sizzling limb. The mists filled in the shape of his hand before thickening to recreate a solid form. Sighing in minor annoyance, he flexed each digit separately as the blackness of the shouki melted away into his normal skin-tone and left him whole again. Looking over the repaired hand to Kagome, he flashed her a humorless smile, "I see you still have not forgiven me."

"Don't hold your breath."

Naraku's amusement returned, spreading his fingers for further examination to be certain he hadn't lost too much of himself one last time before he let it drop to his side. "You should have been mine, Tama. You and I… we would have made a perfect world together. Nothing would have ever had the strength to stand against us. We would have been gods, invincible."

"I don't need to be invincible," Kagome folded her arms over her chest, looking at Naraku with an almost pitying expression. "That's why I absorbed you, Naraku. You never did understand what we needed to feel whole. What I wanted."

"Ah, so you still pretend that you are so very naïve and innocent," Naraku shook his head to rebuke her for those idealistic words. "I may no longer be alive, but you know that I have not lost my memories of you no matter how often you try to deny it. And I know that you have not forgotten it either. What you _need_ to be whole is much more than you are willing to admit to yourself."

Kagome took a reflexive step back from him, distractedly raising her hand to let her fingers rest just below her throat as she tried in vain to ignore the blunt truth in those words. "I know what I need."

"Obviously it hides within the body of a kitsune thief," Naraku arched an eyebrow, smirking when her cheeks darkened at the sardonic remark.

"You're still just as much an asshole as you were when you were alive," Kagome squared her shoulders, painstakingly gathering the souls around her to prevent them from getting out of hand when they sensed her growing anger. Satisfied when she had herself under control, Kagome met Naraku's gaze with grave severity and finally gave him the real reason for her visit, "What did I miss?"

That damned brow arched higher, something smug and supremely arrogant turning his eyes a darker shade of scarlet as he returned to his kneeling position, "Ah… So that's the reason you're here. Reincarnation is a beautiful thing, is it not, Tama?"

"Don't fuck with me, Naraku, I'm not in the mood," Kagome took a step closer to her, holding her hand out palm up to let the mix of jyaki and purification inside her spark together in a subtle threat before his eyes. "What of you is still out there with your obsession? What else did you cast off besides Hakudoushi and that thing?"

"What makes you think I know anything?" he gestured around the shrine expansively. "This is my world now, Tama. Anything beyond the walls is a mystery to me."

Kagome set her other hand on her hip and let the ki spark closer to the hanyou this time just to see him quickly twist to avoid the potentially deadly energy. "The only creatures that exist who can speak directly to my soul without difficulty are allowed access because they already have a path in. And we both know how those form."

Naraku studied her impassively another moment, obviously reveling in the chance to have her dependent on his information. Even if it was only for such a tiny space of time, "Before I was purified there were two portions of myself released from my body. One youkai that managed to rip free, and one human soul."

"Onigumo."

"Met him recently, haven't you," the look on his face showed very clearly that he was fully aware she had come in contact with the reincarnation of his human self. "I highly doubt he appreciates your fondness for your kitsune."

"His name is Reiko," Kagome informed him flatly, something inside her taking pleasure in the look of distaste that crossed his face over that simple irony.

"Humans are such ridiculous creatures," Naraku sighed and waved that off in disgust. "But regardless of what idiotic name they are calling the reincarnation of that pathetic human thief, he isn't the reason you're here speaking to me, is it?"

"Who was the youkai, Naraku?" Kagome pressed, answering his question even as she pried for a better answer. "Where is he now?"

Naraku gave an elegant shrug, fully relaxing back into his own most regal mannerisms just to see how frustrated he could get her, "Likely within the Makai, you did know the world was split in three to 'keep peace within the races,' didn't you?"

Kagome had to bite down on her tongue to resist the urge to grab him and drain him within an inch of his existence for that condescending tone. He was doing it on purpose, and she knew it… but that didn't change her reaction to it. Only the thought of having to fight those raw emotions if she _did_ helped her refrain from giving in and granting him even more amusement at her expense. Instead, she turned to the altar, reaching out to rest her hand on the bone marker as she gritted out, "Which youkai was it?"

Naraku cocked his head to one side, eyes seeming to soak in the flickering light rather than reflect it, "How strange of you to still think that after so many centuries locked away in this place that I would have such knowledge. Do you think I somehow ascended in the same manner as your husband, Tama?"

"You bastard," Kagome took a step towards him, not in the least bit surprised when he instantly vanished from sight in a swirl of shouki with his laughter ringing through the dim chamber.

"Where is the fun in telling you the answer so soon?" Naraku reappeared behind her, tsking in exaggerated disapproval when she whirled around to face him. "You have dealt with him before, Kagome. Is it truly so hard for you to guess?"

"Anything you've touched is corrupted. Obsessed with gaining the jewel's power at any cost," Kagome's eyes narrowed. "And there were hoards of youkai inside you by the end. How do you expect me to pick out just one?"

Naraku smiled at her, sliding his fingers lazily through his own hair as he answered, "Because, my darling Tama… despite the hoards that were admittedly absorbed to create the body I wanted, only _one_ youkai that I have cast off ever chased after you of his own volition. The same one who fought against me at every turn in order to have you specifically for his very own as soon as he saw your face."

Kagome felt something inside her go cold when an image came to unbidden to her mind, staring at Naraku in complete disbelief at the possibility, "That's impossible. We _saw _you reabsorb him! You fell apart when you tried to get rid of him!"

"You should know that things do not stay the same forever," Naraku chided softly. "All I needed was more of you to be able to fully separate my human heart from the rest of myself. You were there to see my success in that endeavor."

"You did it on purpose to trap us into killing that part of you and saving you the trouble," Kagome folded her arms over her chest, trying to hide the way she had started to shiver. "Or did you think that I was too stupid to see what you were doing?"

"Hardly," the look Naraku slanted to her very nearly bordered on affectionate. Or at least it would have if not for the edge in his smirk, "I have always been aware that of all your companions, my most lovely Tama, _you_ see _me_."

"When did you lose Musou?" Kagome ignored him and demanded. "How long has he been on his own? For that matter, _how_ did he separate on his own? You had removed Onigumo's heart by then."

Naraku pondered that for a moment and finally nodded as though satisfied with his inner findings, "Musou became his own creature deep inside us, retaining those desires for you even after I cast out that damn heart. He bided his time gathering strength, and separated from us near the end. He fled before you destroyed us, Kagome."

"He created his own consciousness from inside you?" Kagome knew her suspicion was clearly showing through her face. "With what? How?"

Naraku let out a quiet snort, sending her a mocking glance, "How indeed?"

Understanding had her closing her eyes, biting back a rise in bile over the insinuation below those words, "He had access to the Shikon-no-Tama."

"When so many bodies and souls are forced into one entity, it's common to forget where one ends and another begins," Naraku shrugged, apathetic to the prospect of such an anomaly. "Onigumo's emotions were strong enough to prevent me from killing Kikyou. Why wouldn't they be powerful enough to recreate the youkai body I had foolishly given them in my first attempt to be rid of that weakness?"

"How did he escape your body?" Kagome demanded wearily. "Where did he go?"

"He took advantage of the night our blood ebbed," Naraku lifted one hand up in mocking salute to the sky. "After you left me, I was incapable of holding myself together enough on that night to prevent his detachment. Of course, when you vanished and the barriers were erected to split the worlds, I believe he vowed to lie in wait for the chance to find you in the future. However, you must understand that it _was _five centuries ago and I am trapped here. I have no way of knowing if he still exists."

"If not him, then are you the one speaking to my soul? Did you feel me appear and decide to use your connection to drive me here?" Kagome asked bluntly, determined to have that suspicion out of the way by the time she left. "The truth, Naraku, I can feel it when you lie to me and you know it."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he gave her a half-bow from his position, never taking his eyes off her throughout the motion. "I'm afraid I wasn't even aware that you had reappeared. I've lost count of the days since I was killed, and I was never aware of the exact time frame you truly hailed from. I take it… there is a youkai speaking along a pathway to your soul who has taken a more personal interest in you? As more than just the jewel? "

"That's the only reason I'm here," Kagome faced the altar again, flicking her hand in a simple gesture that sent the unnatural torches flaring brilliantly to life and chase away the shadows. "I need to know who and what out there has the capability to track me, to connect to my soul that easily and find me even from Makai."

"And so you thought of me," Naraku nodded as though agreeing with that conclusion. "I'm touched."

Kagome's smile was as cold as Sesshoumaru's best, "He's underhanded and cowardly, attacking and whispering to me when he thinks I'll be an easy target. Oh yes, Naraku, I thought of you."

"I have no control of whatever is left of what I was," Naraku shrugged one shoulder, curling one hand to form a tray with two sake cups and a small carafe. "I can feel an echo of them because of my attachment to what they are to me, but you can do the same if you search for what you preserved of myself in your soul."

"I absorbed you to destroy you, not to keep part of you alive," Kagome shook her head when he gestured for her to sit again.

"Come now, Tama, are you thinking of leaving so soon? I so rarely get visitors," Naraku chided, but there was something in his voice- a taunt for the fear she still held after so very long. "Stay a while more to share a drink with the past before you leave to find your future. Let one thief offer his wishes of success to another."

"You would do everything you could to devour Kurama's body and soul if you still had the power, don't think I don't know that," she corrected to prove he wasn't fooling her with that proposed toast. Torn with indecision for a moment, Kagome finally let out a resigned sigh before warily kneeling on the pillow across from him again.

"He has your heart," Naraku answered her accusation as though that was all the reason he needed to harbor such feelings. Although he was more careful to avoid contact with her this time as he held the tray up for her to take the second cup.

Kagome frowned at the absolute certainty in his voice, emptying the cup in a single gulp before holding it out for Naraku to refill, "I said he was becoming special, not that I was in love with him."

"Your eyes tell me a different story," Naraku set down the carafe with almost ritualistic meticulousness. His expression was arrogant and knowing as he seemed to look through her protests and straight into her soul to read the truth for himself. He lifted his own cup in taunting salute, touching the rims together lightly and holding her gaze captive as he drank. "They always give you away, you know. There is a certain light to them, a shine to your aura that comes to you only when you have found someone close to you who you would die to protect. More so than you would for a simple _friend_, my dear."

"That's no secret. My family is in this time, Naraku, I'm surrounded by people I love enough to die for without question," Kagome defended, but even she could feel the whisper of defensive hesitation in her voice.

"Your family was in the past as well," Naraku pointed out. "When and where makes no difference, Tama, you create the ties yourself. I was foolish to ignore the signs in our time as to the bond that had formed between you and the grandson of the houshi I cursed. I thought my only rival in having your soul in my hands was the hanyou." He pressed the tip of his finger to his temple, and turned it to point at her, "But now I see everything quite clearly."

"I haven't known Youko Kurama long enough to make that kind of decision about my feelings," Kagome gritted her teeth, hating herself for being unable to simply ignore Naraku's challenges. But she could feel it even now, the faint pulse deep in the core of her soul where that tiny piece of their connection remained. The immortal memory that would never fade from the time she- the jewel… had spent fused in the control of the maniacal hanyou. No matter how much she denied it, his bond with the jewel had already been present in the moment it shattered into her skin, undeniable despite her loathing for him, "And I can't afford to enter such situations blindly any longer."

"Suit yourself," Naraku motioned to the carafe, smiling when she reluctantly acquiesced and held her cup out again. "But then, if he isn't someone you have deeper feelings for, why don't you tell him what you are?"

Kagome frowned darkly, turning her face aside and saying nothing as she sipped from the cup.

Naraku laughed quietly again, turning his hand down to press that same fingertip against the floor between them to draw her attention back, "You cannot hide yourself or your emotions from those of us who have carried you so intimately within our souls. But knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you still know me just as well… why is it that you are willingly discussing this topic with me?"

"You asked," Kagome answered flatly.

"You brought him," he countered easily, taking great pleasure in the level of discomfort radiating off her the more he pressed the issue. "Do not insult my intelligence now, Tama. I may be merely a shadow of life, but I am not a fool. You are presenting this kitsune to each one of your carriers. And _that_ more than anything tells me that your feelings run deeper than they would for someone who is merely 'becoming special.'"

Kagome closed her eyes, letting her chin lower towards her chest as the accusation went straight through her, forcing her to rethink her actions, _Presenting_..._ Did I-? Oh gods, I've brought Kurama to where I know they can all feel him_.

"Better a thief than a monk, my dear," Naraku interrupted her thoughts, smirking at her as he lifted his hand to his mouth and flicked his tongue over the tip of his thumb. "Is that what you are hoping to hear me say? Hoping to have my approval for your choice in taking lovers?"

Kagome's head snapped up, scowling darkly and rising up on her knees as her temper sparked, "You actually think I would ever consider myself in need of that from you?"

Naraku regarded her calmly, his expression never changing, "Then why did you bring him here where my senses can reach? Why did you want me to see him so badly that you would go to the lengths of rebalancing your purification and your protection to pass him through your barrier?"

Kagome composed herself with effort, reaching up to momentarily cover her eyes with her hand in frustration before letting it fall back to her lap. The answers he wanted, he was pushing her, forcing her to look inside herself at emotions and feelings she hadn't even examined for herself. He was doing it again, reaching into her soul and finding all her weaknesses and uncertainty to lay bare before her eyes. They were all legitimate questions… that she didn't want to face just yet.

Once she trusted herself to move without making a fool of herself, she stood and twisted slightly to set the sake cup on the altar before turning glowing eyes back on him. Finally settling on one response that was true without compromising her attempts at privacy, "I brought him to show you just how completely you failed."

"Is that so?" Naraku frowned, eyes narrowing at her choice of words.

"A youkai devouring a human body to make it his own," Kagome affected the most aloof expression she'd ever been able to maintain in front of the hanyou, gaining more confidence as she spoke. "A thief, a killer… no human miko could ever possibly come to care for a soul with those traits, isn't that right, Naraku? Better to absorb her, corrupt her to keep her all to yourself since she'll never be willingly at your side any other way. Isn't that why you did what you did?"

Naraku's lip curled up in the faintest hint of a snarl.

Kagome's smile took on an edge of dark satisfaction as she dug deeper, "The life you wanted and weren't far-sighted enough, or trusting enough to gain. Even the human heart you hated so intensely was reincarnated and is living a life you envy. To think… all those years wasted making your plans; and all that power you stole from us. In the end, Naraku, all that's left of you is a specter of hate in a forgotten shrine while Musou and Onigumo live the lives you meant to have for yourself. And everything you ever desired of me that you were never offered because of your actions, I've willingly giving to a kitsune thief with innocent blood on his hands."

Shouki curled around him menacingly as he rose to his feet in a single, fluid motion. The light from the candles flickered wildly under the rise of an unnatural wind that rippled through their clothes and hair, gathering strength around him with the intensity of his emotions. Naraku's expression contorted with fury, a sound very much like a growl rising in his throat as he reached for her neck. Only to stop just before he reached her, their ki crackling in violent protest against each other as their gazes held for a timeless moment.

She couldn't have begun to guess how long they stood staring at each other, silently waging the war that had never ended between them. But eventually the glow slowly faded from his eyes, serenity returning to his expression as he backed away one step and then another. The air around him expanded outward, bowing the ki oppressively for a brief instant until it turned inward to completely reabsorb back into his body.

Still they remained poised in their silent stalemate until Naraku let out a low, sardonic chuckle and allowed his entire stance to relax in subtle defeat, "I honestly can't decide whether to be furious with you or more proud than I have ever been to see for my own eyes how cruel you've become, my most lovely Tama."

"I learned from the best," Kagome murmured, dipping her head in acknowledge the hand he'd had in that transformation.

"Malice and flattery," he folded his arms over his chest, smiling at her with a twisted sort of indulgent affection. "Careful, my dear, your human façade will only take so much before it becomes obvious how very much you have changed."

"It's only obvious to the ones who knew me before," her expression softened, turning back towards the entrance and taking a step closer to the exit when she paused. Glancing at Naraku, Kagome carefully schooled her expression back into something more neutral, "Thank you for giving me the answers I came for."

Naraku sat down on the altar, drawing one knee up to his chest and letting his eyes trail over her body with lingering appreciation, "Far be it from me to allow other aspects of myself to enjoy what I cannot. You knew that I would revile the thought of them having you enough to tell you who had managed to escape purification."

"I knew I could count on your selfishness," Kagome bowed her head, lifting one hand in blessing as she expanded her ki to mingle with the shrine and reinforce it even further. Peace ran in an unexpected caress through her soul to soothe away a large portion of her anger when she felt the distinct blend of Miroku's lingering energy hum along her senses in answer to her call.

"Kagome."

She curled her hand in to her chest, covering it with the other as she bit back the sudden, inexplicable urge to cry, "Yes?"

"In spite of my displeasure, I still appreciate the courtesy," Naraku absently traced a circle on the altar beside him, fingers mindlessly recreating the symbol burned forever into his mind to send a faint spark along his own long unused path into her mind. "Bringing Youko Kurama with you for me."

"Don't misunderstand my intentions, Naraku," Kagome chastised him quietly, closing her eyes at the flicker of heat chasing between her shoulder blades to answer his pointed recreation. It was proof, irrefutable proof that he had no part in speaking to her soul before now, and it took everything inside her not to allow the souls to violently respond to his summons.

"Enlighten me."

Kagome turned her palm up, staring down at it as her ki momentarily traced its arcane patterns over her skin to reject his call, "For all you think you know everything about me, you never do seem to get it right. I didn't bring Kurama here with you in mind. I brought him for me."

"Now who is being selfish?" Naraku taunted softly.

"I have spent centuries giving myself to others for their delusional whims and desires for omnipotence," Kagome made a simple gesture with her hand to illuminate the path to the shoji more clearly once again. "As I have been told… it's my turn this time."

Naraku watched her walk away from his final resting place, the tomb they had created on this sacred ground, just as she had so many centuries ago. Curling the shadows back around him like a cloak, he let the edges of them spread, twisting and flowing outward across the bland surfaces of the chamber as they would. Once her hand touched the shoji, he shifted his weight to bring her pause and spoke just loud enough for her to hear. "Five hundred years is quite some time to be alone in one's thoughts, my Tama, even for a ghost. Perhaps our next visit will not take so long to occur."

Kagome let out a soft, indecipherable sound as she pushed the shoji open and stepped through. Turning to face the chamber with her arms spread wide to grip the sides of the sliding doors, Kagome looked up to lock their gazes yet again before bowing in mock humility. "After everything I've experienced since the day this all began, I've learned to say that nothing is impossible."

Naraku arched an eyebrow, amusement playing across his features over that vague answer as she started to pull the shoji closed. He wasn't entirely surprised when she paused, slanting a glowing look up at him through her lashes.

"But… you also used to tell me I would learn to appreciate the beauty of suffering," her lips twisted in a purely malicious smirk. "Cruelty, malice… corrupted emotions you were all too eager to call to once I became what I am now. Tell me, Naraku, after all the trouble you went to, which ones do you think you inspire in me the most?"

Kagome slid the door closed with a snap as Naraku's laughter echoed through the walls all around her.

………

The sun was just reaching its peak in the sky when Kagome finally stepped out of the shrine. She was too drained to do more than make a slicing gesture with one hand to silence the guardian spirits impatiently when the tried to encircle her again. She folded her arms and frowned up at the sky as they dissipated around her, unable to maintain their forms in the face of her purification. Considering how much later it was than she had hoped, she couldn't stop the slight wince at the thought of the scolding she would no doubt hear from Kurama as soon as she was in arm's length of the kitsune.

Shivering slightly despite the warmth of the sun, Kagome stuffed her hands down in her pockets and turned to stare back at the deceptively peaceful little shrine again. _Musou_… _Dammit all to hell_. _But it doesn't make sense, he was obsessed with Kikyou not me_. _The entire time he never realized I was a different person_.

Her mind raced with all the potential problems rising from his unexpected appearance, not the least of which being the reaction of the rest of the family. If he was in Makai, wouldn't Sesshoumaru or one the others have heard something? Except Sesshoumaru had never dealt with Musou, probably hadn't even heard of him considering how and when they had faced the bizarre detachment as an opponent. Unless Shippou or Inuyasha had thought to tell the taiyoukai about him. Then again, even if Sesshoumaru had heard of him or knew he was alive in Makai, it was highly likely that he would have kept quiet to prevent her from taking the risk of hunting Musou out on her own. Too many demons of their past had been given their second chance living in that realm from what she had been told.

Her introspection was interrupted by a faint tug, just enough to tilt her head towards the surrounding fence. Blinking in confusion, she reached up and found her fingers immediately encircled with slender vines. Outside the forced suppression from within the shrine, it wasn't long before the rose in her hair was trying to wake and chittering loudly at her in its most disapproving "tone." The tugging became more insistent as it shook of the remaining grogginess, making every effort to guide her in the direction it could no doubt feel its agitated master's ki coming from.

"He's not liking this one bit, is he?" Kagome reached up to stroke the closed bud in an effort to soothe the increasing grunts from her overzealous babysitter.

The rose sighed and made a more distinct tsking sound she was coming to recognize as Kurama's more directly reflected impatience. The vines wrapped through her fingers separated into more vines and reached out, wrapping around her arms to pull even more of her body in that direction.

Kagome nodded and held up her hands to signal her defeat, "All right, all right. I know I've been inside longer than I thought I had… I just lost track of time."

It was hard to tell if she should take offense to the exasperated sigh that came from the plant after that. But regardless of the potential lack of respect from a sentient plant, she couldn't help but roll her eyes, smothering a giggle when it started to mutter to itself. Any irritation she had with it melted under the nostalgic comparison to what she remembered of Jaken's ideas of attending to Rin in her younger days.

Giving in to the increasingly insistent attempts to lead her, Kagome carefully muted her appearance and calmed the agitated souls back into dormancy with every step. Her soul pulsed once, sending a wash of Sesshoumaru's youki from her "stores" throughout her body as it struggled to rebalance her upset system. Reaching out to swing the hidden gate open again, Kagome glanced back at the innocent looking shrine one last time before ducking back through the wall.

Sure enough, the first thing she saw when she stepped around the panel was Kurama standing as close to the barrier as he could tolerate with his arms folded and golden eyes narrowed sternly. Some wicked part of her mind brought her to a stop before she reached him, pondering the merits of standing out of his range to frustrate him. As quickly as that thought occurred to her, he arched one eyebrow to silently, yet clearly convey that he could see exactly what she was thinking. And just as clearly that he was "suggesting" she change her mind.

"You're late, little lover," Youko purred out through Kurama, lifting his hand palm up towards her.

_What the hell could she have been doing in there?_ Kurama sighed heavily at the wave of relief pouring through him, not in the least bit surprised by the rise in anger that followed so closely behind it. _Doesn't she know what time it is now? What happened? Why couldn_'_t we feel her? Why can_'_t the rose remember what happened?_

'_Something inside this place put it to sleep_,' Youko frowned at the broken images he was being fed from the worried plant, trying with difficulty to calm his own agitation before it could get worse. '_Voices, it says_. _It remembers voices_. _She was upset and it was dark_.'

_That may just have been a tomb_, Kurama frowned slightly, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt through his desire to crush her up against his chest at the very suggestion she had faced something else. _But voices? What voices could their have been? She was alone_,_ wasn't she?_

Kagome's brows lifted in surprise, not quite believing the emotions he was too distracted to shutter as they flashed through his eyes, "You were… really worried?"

Youko snorted, '_Of _course_ I was worried!_'

"You have been gone several hours," Kurama winced when the barrier crackled against his hand, but stubbornly continued to hold it out for her.

"Don't do that," Kagome reached out quickly to grip his hand and protect it from the massive amounts of purifying energy. "You're going to burn yourself."

Kurama's fingers instantly closed to trap hers, yanking her through the barrier and wrapping his arms around her to flatten her up against his chest. He didn't even bother to stop Youko from burying their face in her hair and inhaling deeply to let the feel and scent of her wind around them comfortingly, successfully calming them back to a more manageable level.

'_That's better_,' Youko slid his arms down into Kurama's, pulling her closer as he pressed a lingering kiss to her temple. '_Pick her up and get her out of here_, _I want her away from this place_. _There's something wrong with it_. _Something that wasn't in the air when we first arrived_.'

_Something is watching us_, Kurama opened his eyes, staring up at the wall suspiciously at the increasing sensation of another presence somewhere near. "We need to leave," Kurama whispered in her ear, carrying her backwards a step as he continued to search for whatever it was that seemed to have followed her out.

Kagome nodded and closed her eyes, sliding her arms around his neck and letting him tuck her up against him to soak in the possessive feel of him trying to wind around her inside and out. It was funny, but she hadn't even realized just how cold she was, how drained until she felt the warmth of his body. His youki was stroking across her aura, calling out to her senses as it stirred something primal and hungry from deep inside her. In the back of her mind, she realized the vines that had wrapped around her arms were spreading to latch onto Kurama, trying to help bind them together more tightly. But whether it was an echo of her emotions or his own, she wasn't entirely certain.

_I told you he held your heart_, _Tama_, Naraku's voice whispered at the back of her mind, making her cringe and tighten her hold on Kurama in a reflexive attempt to push it out through his presence alone. _I wonder_…_ how deep will your pain run when he betrays you for your power as well? Will the taiyoukai be enough to save you this time?_

"Kagome?" Kurama's attention shifted to the miko in his arms, voice lowering with a note of concern at the complete turnaround in her behavior. She seemed to be crumpling before his eyes, shrinking in on herself and burrowing down in his arms with every second, and he gathered her more carefully against him.

'_Show her she's safe with us_, _Kurama_,' Youko's eyes narrowed sharply, pouring even more of his influence into them to actively wrap their youki more protectively around her. '_I will not allow her to become this afraid when our arms are around her_.'

Inwardly nodding in agreement, Kurama bent to scoop her up in his arms and darted into the trees in an instinctive retreat from the shrine. Whatever had awakened in that place, whatever had been watching them, he wanted to get as far away from it as possible. "Kagome, it's all right," he murmured in her ear, calling out to the woods around them to obediently remove all traces of their passing. "What happened?"

Kagome shook her head, cursing herself for letting her emotions be so badly rattled by the parting taunt, and more for not having an answer besides shutting out the laughter in her mind. Naraku knew exactly what to say to stir up the most painful of memories, and she was struggling to block it out even as she answered him. "They're only memories. I'm being silly, Kurama, I know I am. I just… I let them get to me when I know better."

"It's nothing silly if you feel this strongly," he denied her explanation, pausing on a thicker branch several feet off the ground to stare down at her in growing concern. At Youko's prompting, he dropped a kiss to the top of her head, nuzzling his cheek against her to encourage her to relax in his arms and open up to them, "Tell me what happened. Or let me take this away from you."

_Youko?_ Kurama let the kitsune feel his confusion at that strange request. _What are you doing?_

'_Shh_,' Youko shushed him impatiently. '_Trust me, she'll understand_.'

The words echoed in her mind, and Kagome bit down hard on her lip over the clamor of her soul trying to reach out for him the instant the meaning clicked in her mind. Kagome's fingers dug into his back as she struggled against the seduction in those words, the warmth she could taste behind the offer… and the possibilities of how completely she could use it to her advantage, "I can't let-"

"Nothing more," he readjusted his hold, gently lowering her feet to the branch to be able to support her with one arm so he could tilt her face up with the other. Catching her gaze effortlessly in his, he traced his thumb over her cheek and cajoled, "I promise. I'll even behave."

Kagome stared up at him even as her hands were sliding into his hair, swallowing and inwardly promising that if he could behave then there couldn't be any real _harm_ in it. He was offering, and she was becoming increasingly aware of the gnawing ache of old pain eating away at her soul the longer she looked at him. He was leaning into her hands, his eyes never leaving hers as he traced a light caress across her bottom lip with his thumb in silent temptation and waited for her to respond. Still… fresh from a confrontation with Naraku, she wasn't entirely sure how deeply she might pull-

She opened her mouth with every intention of repeating her concerns albeit reluctantly when he lifted her up on her toes just enough to bring her body completely flush against his own. Her eyes snapped shut before he could see the way they had flashed in answer to that contact, sucking in a sharp gasp as heat snaked through her stomach and sent her reservations tumbling down the wayside, _Oh the hell with it_.

Kagome pulled herself up at the same time she dragged his face down, her lips meeting and parting his to settle into a kiss that nearly punched the air out of his lungs. Youko took over with immediate enthusiasm, walking them back to brace their weight against the trunk of the tree and winding his arm more securely around her waist. It didn't take much to reposition her higher on his chest, dragging a low, rumbling groan from him when their hips ground together. Not allowing the kiss to break, he dragged her up just a little higher and sunk his free hand deep into her hair. Curling his fingers into a fist, he pulled her head back and let her draw in another breath before covering her mouth with his much more purposefully.

'_I told you_,' Youko moaned into her mouth, hooking one leg around hers to hold her in place as he released the hold on her waist in favor of sliding his hand up under the back of her shirt. Dragging his hand along her side and around to her stomach, he slipped it up between their bodies until he could feel the steady beat of her heart directly beneath his palm. '_She knows us_, _Kurama,__ she knows what we are and how we work_. _Let me show you what we can do that you pretend we can't_.'

_Wait_,_ Youko_,_ what are you doing?_ Kurama tried distractedly to rouse himself out of the unbelievable feeling of Kagome practically wrapped around him, being the one to instigate their kissing this time.

'_Watch and learn_,' Youko grinned wickedly inside their mind, tightening his fist and lifting to arch her back ever so slightly as he splayed the fingers over her heart wide.

The first rush of youki sweeping across her soul nearly buckled Kagome's knees, crying out into his mouth at the intense heat and sheer power within the controlled rush. _Holy gods_, her mind shakily supplied, fingers clenching in his hair and letting her head fall back under his direction when his lips moved to her exposed throat. _He's_… _oh gods,_ _he's stronger than I thought_-

Kurama couldn't stop himself from flashing a smile against her throat when she tried to pull herself even closer to him, Youko's influence was sharpening their canines as he traced the taunt line of muscle down to her pulse. "That's it, little lover," he let his eyes flutter closed as he painstakingly split his focus to stroke his youki over the surface of her ki with expert care, searching for just the right vibration. "Just let me in."

'_You see?_' Youko lifted their head with a triumphant smirk when he felt the discordant hum darkening her ki. His gaze swept her entire body as best he could see, thoroughly memorized the sight of her body arched and vulnerable, skin practically glowing under his attention as he wound his youki gently throughout that energy and drew it back into himself. '_She knew we could take it out of her_, _she trusts us to make her feel this way_.'

Kurama nearly jerked away from her at the familiar spike in their energy, only Youko's sudden snarl and violent refusal to relinquish control stopping the reflexive action, _You're _feeding!?

'_Only on the sad emotions_,' Youko defended his actions with a warning frown. '_Stop hissing at me, she gave me permission_.'

_She kissed us_,_ she didn't tell you to suck out her energy!_ Kurama seethed. _You_'_re going to hurt her!_

'_Don't insult me in that fashion, Kurama_,' Youko's voice lowered to a dangerous pitch, eyes gleaming under the wave of pleasure flowing through them to feel the strength of those emotions he was skimming. '_Even if you are me, I won't tolerate such disrespect from you_. _I'm not hurting her, I'm making the pain she's feeling go away_.'

_Stop it_ now, _Youko_, Kurama refused to back down, setting his jaw against the sensations to brace against giving in. _She's a miko, she can't_-

Kagome's fingers untangled from his hair as though sensing the sudden disagreement inside him, sliding her hands around to cup his face as she pulled herself back up with effort. She knew her eyes were probably bordering on too intense as she looked up at his startled expression, tightening her hold in case he intended to move away when she hadn't taken for herself yet, "Just a little more… Kurama."

Kurama was stunned into silence at that blatant verification of Youko's defense, even as Youko's smile spread into something dark and more than a little dangerous. Nodding his head once, he dipped their head down to murmur against her lips, "Just say the word, Kagome, and I'll stop. I'm not so hungry that I can't control myself even with how truly delicious you taste to me."

"I _should_ stop you," he could feel her lips curve up in a smile against his as she spoke, leaning his head into her left hand when the corner of her thumb brushed his ear.

"Oh?" Youko felt a wholly unexpected warmth curl low in his belly at the teasing pitch in her voice, purring thickly when she gave him another of those slow, lazy kisses he was becoming so addicted to.

"We're in a tree," Kagome pointed out, closing her eyes as she snuck a fraction of his youki into herself when he swept it along the surface of her aura again to be certain he had smoothed out the worst of the pain. Hiding her own actions under his feeding, using the unique strength of his energy to balance the last of her upset and supplement against her own weakness. "And Kouga's waiting."

Kurama couldn't help but chuckle with Youko at that, re-exerting his influence and forcing their hand away from her heart despite the protests from his other side when he felt the kitsune winding down from his feeding, "That argument doesn't particularly compel me. But you're too pale, and I know he's taking us to eat."

'_I wasn't totally finished!_' Youko growled out, flexing their hand and bringing it to a stop on her stomach to stubbornly keep it inside her shirt. '_Dammit, Kurama, you can feel how hot she is right now_. _Do you know how easy it'll be to convince her to let us play a little more?_'

_Are you forgetting that humans need to eat?_ Kurama chided him, closing his eyes and letting out a soft rumbling growl when Kagome kissed him again. _Hell, is _she _forgetting humans need to eat?_

Youko blinked and chuckled in amusement at her behavior, but reluctantly pulled back to regard her more critically, '_I can feed her what she needs_.'

_Humans can't live off energy the way you do, Youko_, Kurama untangled his hand from her hair grudgingly, combing his fingers gently through it to smooth it back down before wrapping his arms around her waist and rubbing his cheek against hers affectionately.

'_In a pinch, they can take it_,' Youko pointed out, sighing in resignation when he noted she was indeed looking a little too pale for his peace of mind. '_Hell_…_We need to get rid of Kouga and get back around to more of this when she's got her color back_.'

"You need to eat, honey," Kurama tucked her head under his chin, taking in a deep breath. Hissing at Youko to help dampen their arousal enough to function more easily when he felt her teeth scrape lightly over his throat, following it with a lick that only served to heighten that stimulation. "Kagome, you can't let me do things like that to you when you aren't well rested."

'_You can be so uptight_,' Youko turned his nose up primly. '_I told you that I _like_ feeling this, and she started it so you can't blame me_.'

_That isn't the point and you know it_, Kurama let out a sigh of relief when the intensity of their excitement eased. _That's better_.

'_That's a matter of opinion_.'

Kurama just rolled his eyes at the kitsune's pout, trying their focus back down to Kagome, "I don't want to risk doing something that hurts you."

_Great, now I feel guilty for taking his youki_, Kagome made a face from the safety of her position, but still… Everything he said, all his actions, it was as though he was more concerned with her condition than having a chance to feed off her. And she'd felt it, the care he had used and the precision in staying on the surface of her aura, taking out only the negative emotions. Not to mention that'd he'd promised to stop, and followed through with that promise when she'd only made the suggestion that she should. _That's_… _not normal_. _Why didn_'_t he try to convince me to give him more?_

Kurama smiled down at her when she looked up at him with that bemusement written clearly on her face, chuckling as he pressed a light kiss to her forehead, "I don't want to accidentally take too much before I know what you can handle. You're more important to me than just a snack, Kagome."

'_Oooh__, now _that _was good_,' Youko calmed down when she closed her eyes and leaned into him, her fingers sliding down to his chest and curling in his shirt. '_All right then, Kurama, I'll forgive you for before_. _We can do it your way for now_.'

_We need her to fall for us, Youko, not just be overwhelmed and attracted to us_, Kurama pointed out softly, feeling out the words even as he offered them. _You said it yourself, we want all of her_. _We can be patient a little longer to show her that we will be the ones who can take care of her, we're the one who can give her what she needs_. _We'll prove to all these assholes around her that we are not a _fling.

Youko smiled at the way their lip had curled up in annoyance, winding his arms around Kurama's soul to tuck them closer together as he whispered in his other half's ear, '_I knew you would see things my way_. _Now give our lover a kiss to hold her over until tonight and let's go show that bastard wolf there are no safer hands for her than ours_.'

Kagome could feel a blush spreading over her cheeks the longer he stared down at her with such warm intensity, ducking her head and self-consciously brushing her hair back behind her ear. _What's wrong with me? He smiles and looks at me like that, and I'm acting like a brainless teenager on a first date all over again_. _I was a wife, and I'm a mother, dammit, I shouldn't act_-!

Kurama hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to draw her into a languid kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth and taking his time to thoroughly draw out all that warmth and emotion he craved. He eased out of the kiss once her arms had crept up around his neck again, taking her lower lip in his teeth for just a moment before reluctantly leaning away. When her eyes opened again, questioning why he had stopped, he winked and swept her back up in his arms, "A promise for later, honey. Next time we'll try it without the tree."


	48. Multifaceted Supplication

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Ugh and double ugh… if you're all seeing this, it means I didn't manage to fix my internet OR get out of having to sub for one of the admins at this stupid conference. However, this also means that a very dear friend of mine received the disk I sent them and was polite enough to post this update for me. I know it's been a rather long while since I've updated, but work has quite literally been hell, and I just haven't had the time to really get this typed out. makes a face Cross your fingers that I will magically gain more hours in my day, and thus not take so long for me to get out the next chapter.

LOL, anyhow anyhow… All of you! As always I shall list what has become something of a chant for me. My darling friends, my junkies, my reviews, and all my readers wherever site you may be viewing… Thank you. The reviews and emails I've received have been lovely and inject a much needed touch of sanity into my supremely hectic days as the dreaded holiday season approaches. I adore you, and shall tack up something special (or… I hope it's special) in a day or two in an effort to show how much you've all inspired me to post stories in a more public venue. .

By Any Other Name

Multifaceted Supplication

Kurama discreetly pointed out several items on the menu to the anxious looking waiter, keeping his expression carefully pleasant as the man shakily inquired if everything was all right. Nodding, he made a motion with hand to encourage the young man to lean down and whispered his assurances, "My fiancée and her elder brother often have arguments of this nature. It's not a serious or malicious matter."

The waiter obviously relaxed with Kurama's "help," gladly accepting the menus from the composed kitsune and scurrying off to the kitchen. Kurama covered his mouth with one hand to hide his smile when he saw the waiter pausing to whisper to other members of the staff, leaving a wake of more amused smiles in his wake.

'_That's better_,' Youko stretched out and ran the tip of his tongue over his teeth. '_Now they think the closeness between them is a direct relation, and they will speak amongst themselves that she's ours_.'

"I said fish, Kouga-kun," Kagome was repeating as Kurama braced his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his upraised palm. His eyes traced in a private caress over the lines of her stubborn frown, mentally smoothing each displeased line away until Youko was geared up to start an entirely new fantasy in the middle of the restaurant.

_We are in mixed company, you know_, Kurama pointed out, stomach tightening slightly as he fought to rein in the heat slowly pouring through them. _This isn't the best time for you to let your brain wander off like this_.

Youko shrugged, not concerned at all by that detail, '_I'm the one having the fun thoughts, and it's not like he's got Hiei's abilities_. _All his focus is on trying to get our lover to submit_.'

_You sound entirely too amused by that_, Kurama nearly rolled his eyes at the laughter in the kitsune's tone. _Shouldn't we be stopping him? He's speaking with disrespect_.

Youko smiled, tilting their head closer to inhale Kagome's scent, '_No, no_. _Let him speak_. _For one, she's cute when she's mad, and for two, if she's annoyed with him, she'll help us get rid of him_.'

"You need red meat," Kouga shook his head in denial, blissfully unaware of the plotting going on across the table. "I mean it, Kagome. Fish is too light to get your color back."

"Then I'll have a steak at dinner," she promised, sitting back and folding her arms over her chest. "But I don't want to have it for lunch."

Kouga sighed as he leaned across the table, grabbing her chin and tilting her face up to be certain they were eye to eye. "Kagome, you know I won't buckle under and let you get away with murder."

"This is lunch not murder," Kagome pointed out with a cheeky grin, unable to stop her giggle when he let out an exasperated growl.

Kurama smiled warmly at the playful taunt, completely entertained by the lively sparkle in her eyes the longer they bantered over the menu. _She's enjoying this_.

'_As well she should_,' Youko sighed, tilting his head as he directed them to look back and forth between the wolf and the miko. '_You know_… _I hate to say anything positive about that bastard, but I have to admit that he can be trusted to look out for our lover's health above his own_.'

Kurama inwardly arched an eyebrow, smirking at the reluctantly begrudging tone coming from his other half, _Is__ that so?_

'_Shut up, Kurama_,' Youko growled faintly and wrapped one arm warningly around their soul. '_I'm not saying that I necessarily agree with his methods of_…_ persuasion_. _Merely observing that should the need arise for us to give him temporary care of our lover, he would take the matter seriously_.'

_He's doing well enough for a wolf_, Kurama scolded lightly at the snide note creeping into Youko's voice. _Trickery is our specialty after all_,_ not his_.

'_As is quite painfully obvious at the moment_,' Youko clucked his tongue in sardonic disapproval. '_He over-argued his point_. _You can see it in her eyes, and the way she's smiling at him_. _Now she won't back down just to annoy him_.'

_She knows that he's right about getting her color back_.

'_Of course she does_,' Youko turned his nose up defensively, chest expanding as he straightened their spine. '_Our lover is neither a child nor a fool_.'

Kurama smiled to himself again at the way Youko had readjusted their posture under the force of his preening. _You didn't have anything to do with developing her personality_,_ you know_.

'_Perhaps not, but I can still take pride in my lover's skills and intelligence_,' he retorted without missing a beat. '_She's going to pass them along to our children after all_.'

_With that smart mouth_, Kurama bit down on his lower lip, readjusting his chin on his hand to make it easier to watch her more exclusively. _Between all our personalities, it'll be a miracle if our children aren't boasting a wider vocabulary of curses and vulgarities by the time they begin school than most of the adults in our acquaintance_.

Youko shrugged, not in the least bit put off by that probability, '_Personally, I would rather know that my children can effectively threaten the mind, body, and soul of any creature foolish enough to cross them_.'

Kurama had to catch himself before he openly laughed at how matter-of-fact Youko's comment had been given the content. _I wasn't saying it was necessarily a good thing_.

'_Yes, well, our priorities obviously differ when it comes to our parenting styles_,' Youko made a tsking sound.

_Then we're going to argue about this more than once_.

'_Most definitely_.'

Kurama's gaze lowered to Kagome's lap when he saw her absently let her hands lower to rest on her thighs. Barely thinking about his actions, he reached out with his free hand and brushed his fingertips over the back of her knuckles suggestively. Kagome turned it over, splaying out her fingers out under his guiding touch and bringing a new sort of warmth to their soul under how natural that simple act had been.

Kurama felt his irritation melt away before it could fully form, _Our__ children won't have to be bloodthirsty, Youko_.

'_Suggesting I am?_' Youko drawled out, sighing happily when Kagome laced her fingers with theirs and squeezed.

_You can be_, Kurama pointed out in bland accusation, tracing random lines across her palm carefully with his thumb.

'_Hell, I wouldn't be able to call myself a man or a youkai if I couldn't_,' Youko huffed, pouring out his influence to be an active part of that caress. '_Our children will have instincts just like ours, and they will be just as deadly as we can be_. _Kagome will agree with that_.'

_She's a miko_, Kurama started to protest.

'_She's a fighter too, and an instructor of the old ways_,' Youko reminded sternly. '_Kagome picked her place to be amongst youkai, Kurama_. _Stop thinking she expects us to be human for her_.'

Kurama frowned slightly, looking down at their joined hands as a stab of doubt went through him, _I__ wasn't thinking that_.

Youko sighed, winding his arms around their soul as he murmured, '_You were, and I could feel it_. _But then_… _you always expected that you would have to play this part forever_. _We got lucky, Kurama_. _Our lover, our miko, would not ask us to repress our nature_. _The way she encourages us proves she won't force us to be something we're not_.'

Lips brushing against his cheek snapped Kurama from his silent debate, turning him towards the caress in wide-eyed surprise to see Kagome watching him with a soft smile. She gently untangled their hands to reach up and brush his hair out of his eyes, "Ah, so _there_ you are. I was starting to wonder if I'd lost you for the day."

Kurama blinked and reoriented his thoughts, feeling Youko curve their lips into an affectionate smile, "Please forgive me, little lover… I was just thinking. But more importantly, have you decided what you'd like?"

Kagome sighed and frowned at Kouga, "Well I know what I _want_ to eat."

"No," Kouga shook his head.

Kagome stuck out her tongue, "I'm not a child, Kouga-kun. I can decide what to have for lunch on my own."

"I'm not arguing about this with you any more," he folded his arms over his chest and fixed a particularly stern look on her. "Sesshoumaru would say the same thing if he was here, and you wouldn't be so stubborn about it."

"I can always order cake and call it square," Kagome tapped her finger on the table in front of her.

Kouga flipped out his phone, "Speed dial."

"Cheater," she leaned back in her chair with a pout, sighing as she leaned to the side just enough to brush her shoulder against Kurama's and pull some of his warmth into herself. "There's only so much you can play that card, Kouga-kun."

Kurama chuckled softly at her displeasure, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and tucking her up close at his side. Tilting his head down, he brushed his lips over her temple and whispered, "Your body requires something more substantial than cake, Kagome. But if you promise to have more care for how pale you are now, I'll buy you a crepe from that street vendor you looked like you wanted to attack."

"I'll hold you to that," Kagome warned, opening her mouth to say more when the waiter returned and set down an artfully arranged bento with the teriyaki salmon she'd been insisting on.

Kurama sighed smugly, closing his eyes briefly to savor the moment when she let out a delighted sound and twisted to give him an enthusiastic embrace, _She's__ openly being affectionate in public_.

'_I _am_ aware of that, Kurama_,' Youko's tail flicked back and forth in excitement, opening their eyes to bask in the glaring disapproval on the wolf's face when he realized they'd gone over his head. '_Now then_… _let's show this lord just how much more effective we are at seeing to her care_.'

Kouga's brows had lowered severely as the waiter bustled around them, setting the specified dishes out before bowing and leaving them to their meal, "You-"

"Kagome, honey, you simply have to taste this," Kurama ignored him, lowering his voice to more a more intimate timbre as he took a piece of steak between his chopsticks and held it up to her mouth. "Their chef is quite good."

Kagome's brows lifted, looking from the offering to his smile and back before she leaned forward and opened her mouth. His smile deepened when he caught the faint blush spread across her cheeks. Holding her gaze, he put pressure on the chopsticks to drag them slowly across her lower lip once he was certain she'd taken the bite.

He shifted his weight, leaning in close to purr in her ear again, "Well?"

Kagome's blush darkened over the blatant intimacies, lifting her hand to cover her mouth as she chewed and swallowed before answering quietly. "It's… you're right, it's very good."

Kurama sat up, winking at her when her chopsticks gently pulled a piece from her own dish, "Fair is fair, lover. Are you going to let me taste yours too?"

Kouga sat back, tilting his head to one side in dawning realization when Kagome returned the favor of sharing her lunch. Kurama caught the upward twitch of the wolf's lips before he regained his stern expression, flashing him the faintest smirk of pride as let his teeth graze her chopsticks suggestively. One dark brow arched upwards as the wolf sat back, clearing his throat to snap Kagome out of the daze the kitsune's actions seemed to have lulled her into. She straightened with a soft sound of annoyance, ducking her head and trying to look more focused on eating than she was on the flirtation from the attentive kitsune.

Kurama bit back a laugh, lifting one hand to brush his hair back over his shoulder as he gave her a playful nudge. "I think you may have had the right idea," he gestured to her bento with his chopsticks. "I'd rather have yours."

Kagome fidgeted in her chair, fighting a quick battle with her sense of modesty as she tapped her chopsticks thoughtfully against her lips. She finally came to a decision, glancing off out the window and murmuring quietly, "Would-? Ah, that is… Do you want to share?"

Kurama slanted Kouga a victorious smile and turned a quick, discreet look around the restaurant to be sure they weren't being watched before he ducked and traced the edge of her ear with his tongue. He sat up, pasting on the most innocent expression he could manage when she snapped around and automatically backhanded him in the chest.

"Stop that!" Kagome hissed at him in exasperation, frowning and stealing a strip of beef from his bento. She brandished the meat at him like a weapon, jerking it away when he tried to snatch it away from her and slipping it into her mouth. "You'll regret it if you keep that up, Kurama, don't think you won't. I'm not some blushing little virgin, and I'll get back at you just like I did before."

"I'd never think to question your ability to meet any challenge I give you, little lover," Kurama pressed his hand over his heart and gave her a shallow bow, snatching a larger piece of her salmon as soon as he was sure she was distracted. She let out sound of protest, but she'd barely lifted a hand to stop him by the time it was in his mouth.

Kouga watched it all silently, completely enthralled by the way Kurama goaded her little by little until she was taking more of the meat he'd wanted her to order in the first place. The banter between them was light and easy, every subtle shift in their body language showing a level of comfort that surprised the wolf lord on an entirely different level. His hands slowly lowered, not even bothering to touch the bento in front of him as he continued to regard Kagome's reaction to the kitsune. _He_- _he_ _can actually trick her? Shit_… shit! _How old is this kitsune?_

Kurama felt the weight of Kouga's stare, waiting for Kagome to turn her attention back to her food in a temporary truce before returning the glare with a bland look of his own. _He's angry_.

'_Of course he is_,' Youko smiled darkly from inside them at the observation. '_We're forcing him to see for himself that she's ours_. _The way she relaxes and listens to us, the things we can do for her_… _there's no way he can hope to measure up with us in her eyes now that we have decided to have her_.'

Kouga's eyes narrowed sharply at the smug gleam that flickered through those flashing eyes, shifting to Kagome as the expression melted to concern. "Kagome, are you sure you don't need to have an escort? I could leave Ginta and Hakkaku-"

"That won't be necessary," Kurama cut in before he could continue, the look in his eyes turning dark with warning. "It's insulting that you think I won't- or can't protect Kagome. She is safer in my hands than yours."

Kagome held up her free hand when Kouga leaned forward to respond to that claim, her expression set into the same one that Kurama had found to be so damn irresistible when he'd first seen it directed at her students. He had to forcefully restrain Youko from stealing a kiss from her on the spot, especially when Kouga instantly backed down from it as well. He could feel the muscle in his jaw twitch from just how hard he was gritting his teeth with the effort to hold them still and let Kagome handle the wolf.

"Kouga-kun," Kagome lowered her voice firmly, effectively cutting off any possibility for more verbal sparring with the understated disapproval. "I know you worry, and I appreciate the offer. But I trust Kurama to play my bodyguard and satisfy everyone's worries about my health while I'm paying my respects here. If you trust _me_, then relax. He isn't going to hurt me."

Kurama's eyes flashed scarlet for the barest second, unable to prevent the absolutely wicked smile spreading across his lips as he regarded Kouga's cornered expression. _She trapped him with that_. _He can't argue with her without making it sound like he's insulting their relationship_.

'_I keep telling you she's sneaky_,' Youko let out a sound of irritation when Kurama didn't follow his suggestion and wrap an arm around her again. After a moment of internal debate, he gave up on the physical display and simply expanded their youki outward to wind more possessively through her aura. '_Although_... _it makes you wonder, doesn't it?_'

_Wonder what?_ Kurama frowned slightly, shifting in his seat at the warmth filling them under the lazy stroke of their energy against the soul they had so recently fed from. The question slipped from his mind almost as soon as it had formed when all the sensations seemed to come rushing back to him at once, _Good gods_.

'_Easy, Kurama,_' Youko chuckled at the less refined reaction, nuzzling him encouragingly when it became obvious Kurama wasn't going to stop him. '_Breathe slowly… taste the sensations and separate the flavors one at a time or you'll be overwhelmed whenever we do this_. _Good, good_. _But back to our lover, it makes you wonder if she didn't set Kouga up to trap himself_. _She might be testing our creativity_.'

Kurama focused on Youko's theory with effort, blinking in disbelief before he muttered, _You're__ getting paranoid if you think she's building complex puzzles specifically for the sake of watching us react over such mundane issues_.

'_I am not!_' Youko protested. '_Females do it all the time when they're picking out a breeding partner! She wants to see if we can handle dissention over little things like this cleanly_.'

Kurama sighed, easily recognizing that tone of voice as Youko in his most stubborn form and giving up convincing him otherwise as he refocused on Kouga with his own severe expression. She had turned aside the wolf's offering, but their instincts were still bristling enough to goad a more direct response to show the suggestion was unappreciated, "Kagome is no longer your responsibility, Kouga-_sama_."

Kagome brought her elbow back into Kurama's stomach, "Don't _you _overdo it or I'll send you with him and use my vacation for alone time."

Kurama offered her a harmless smile, slipping another piece of steak into her mouth when she seemed inclined to scold him further, "You love me too much to send me away in such a heartless fashion, Kagome."

She chewed and swallowed, sticking her tongue out at him and picking up her bowl of rice as she turned her body away from his in subtle snub, "I wonder at my own sanity."

_Ah she- wait_, Kurama froze with his teacup halfway to his mouth, eyes widening and flickering rapidly between green and gold as her words connected. _Wait, did she just_-?

'_She didn't deny it_,' Youko whispered in rising excitement, straightening in their soul until Kurama feared their spine was in danger of snapping in two. '_Kurama, did you hear that? She didn't deny it and that damn wolf is right fucking there to witness it!_'

Kurama's head snapped around, staring intently at her profile as she stubbornly refused to look at him, _Then_…_ she_ _has_ _deeper feelings for us?_

He started to reach out with a sort of awe, mouth open to call her on the clear innuendo in her response when a faint mechanical chirp shattered the silence gripping their table. Irritated at the untimely interruption, Kurama turned to scowl at the culprit. Unable to fully contain his faint rumble of displeasure at the smug look on Kouga's face as the wolf flipped open his ringing phone.

"Moriharuka," Kouga schooled his voice instantly into his clipped, business tone as he instinctively turned to the side to exclude the table from the conversation.

'_Stupid human technology_,' Youko's lip curled up in supreme distaste, slanting their eyes to where Kagome was poking at the remains of her fish. The pink still tinting her cheeks soothed him somewhat, but it also proved too much temptation not to slide his hand around her waist and lightly pull her closer. Tilting their head, Youko rubbed their forehead against her temple as he kept half an eye on Kouga, '_That was a beautiful mood and he just had to fucking ruin it_.'

_We'll bring it back up when we have more privacy_, Kurama assured him, completely forgetting Kouga when Kagome finally relaxed against his side. _She didn't mean to admit to her feelings like that, or she wouldn't be acting so shy now_.

'_Isn't it cute as all hell?_' Youko grinned, setting down their chopsticks to brush her bangs out of her eyes and turn her face around to check her color. "You are looking much better now, little lover," he tapped her on the end of the nose. "Well enough to have earned that crepe."

Kagome bit his finger.

_Well maybe not_ that_ shy_, Kurama tried his damnedest not to burst out laughing when Youko let out a yelp of surprise. The laugh choked off and died in his throat though when rather than snatching their hand back, Youko simply stretched out his thumb to stroke down her cheek with that finger still held captive in her teeth.

"That wasn't very nice, Kagome," Youko purred out once he'd recovered from his surprise, flashing her a smile filled with promise just as he dipped his head enough to lick the same spot they'd just tapped.

Kagome's startled gasp freed their finger and Youko was quick to slide the newly freed hand around the back of her head, grabbing a fistful of her hair to hold her still. Her eyes went wide and then narrow in mock anger, "That was a dirty trick, Kurama."

He grinned unrepentantly, "But it worked, and you're still smiling at me. And… if the wolf weren't here spoiling the start of our vacation, we could take advantage of this position we have somehow found ourselves in."

Kurama tugged him back when they started to lean forward to sneak a kiss despite the claim that their "ambiance" had been upset, _Back__ up, Youko, she's still got some of the human issues about public affection_. _We can't keep pushing her like this in front of so many people_.

'_That's bullshit, she likes kissing us no matter how many people are looking at us_,' Youko snorted, openly pouting at being stopped just before claiming his prize. '_Besides, the more eyes on us, the more people will be aware she's not available_.'

"She's right here," Kouga announced cheerfully and brought an end to their play. He winked at Kagome and mouthed 'Sesshoumaru' when she arched a quizzical brow, "No, everything went well. The kitsune bastard even tricked her into having steak."

Kagome made a threatening gesture with her chopsticks and mouthed back 'Don't make me kick you.'

Kouga chuckled and leaned back in his chair lazily, propping his arm up along the back of the seat next to him without a thought to the renewed scowl coming his way from Kurama. "I don't know, you'd have to ask her about that. Yes, I met with Yoshiro and he made all the arrangements for the family house. The phone number hasn't changed."

"Honestly," Kagome muttered under her breath, rising up and reaching across the table without a thought for the temptation she'd just placed literally within hand's reach. "Give me the phone, Kouga-kun, before he shows up just to beat both of us over the way you answer questions."

Kurama's attention had shifted the instant Kagome stood up, barely registering the wolf handing over the cell phone. His gaze dropped to stare at the excellent view the new position provided, not to mention the opportunity for some enjoyable revenge. Youko was already chuckling inside their mind, the sound sending a chill down Kurama's spine as the kitsune took his time sliding his youki down that limb to blend their arm together completely. _Youko_, he started warningly, biting the inside of his cheek when he felt a streak of heat snake through his stomach.

'_Shh__… I'm having a moment_,' Youko scolded in a dreamy voice.

_You are _not _thinking of doing_- Kurama voice failed him completely when Youko pulled them towards her. He curved their fingers over her hip and down until they were cupping her backside, _Youko, we're in _public!

'_You can't possibly tell me you don't think it's worth it when I know you're feeling this_,' Youko let out a disbelieving scoff, giving her a squeeze to feel the tone of the muscles beneath their hand.

Kurama tilted his chin down, preparing to try and gather the motivation to release her when Kagome straightened and reflexively brought her hand back to slap his away. His eyes went wide, staring up at her with mouth open and apology hovering on the tip on his tongue. Right until she sat down at his side without the slightest acknowledgment it had even happened. _That was_-

'_A reflex_. _And an old one to be so instinctive_,' Youko blinked and settled back in their soul to turn that over in his head. He couldn't help but chuckle at all the possibilities her reaction opened to him, shrugging off the new questions under the simplest answer for the moment, '_Ah well, the wolf _did _all but admit her first husband was a pervert_.'

_But why would she be used to being groped in public and not kissed?_ Kurama frowned slightly. _That seems a little backwards_.

'_Maybe he had a fetish_.'

Kagome was smiling in exasperation, leaning back in her chair as she listened to whatever Sesshoumaru was saying, "I know, I know. I wasn't there very long, I know better. No, Sesshoumaru, Kurama and Kouga are taking good care of me."

Youko frowned, sliding their arm around her waist possessively again, 'We _are taking good care of her_. _The wolf is not nearly clever enough to know how to handle our lover properly, and I'll be damned if I let him take the credit for our work_.'

"You don't have anything to worry about, Kurama is almost worse than all of you put together as far as the hovering thing goes," Kagome shot him a look, sticking her tongue out at him when he gave her an innocent expression.

"I don't hover, honey," Kurama winked at her, pressing a finger to her lips before tracing their shape with a feather-light caress. "I just know how best to take care of you, to keep my most beautiful lover healthy and safe."

"_Sit back from my miko, kitsune_."

Kagome jumped slightly, blushing at the low rumble in her ear and stammering her excuses as she stood and backed away from the table. Shooting a dark glare at Kurama for causing her embarrassment, she turned and walked back to one of the windows in their secluded corner of the restaurant to continue the call.

Kurama followed her with his eyes, again propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his palm. His eyes darted briefly to Kouga, satisfied the wolf was finally seeing to his lunch and leaving him unobserved as he let his mind wander over their unexpected progress. _She didn't deny that she loves us_.

'_I was right here, you know_,' Youko reminded him, adding his own pleasure over that event to the mix in their aura. '_She knows we understood what she said to us_. _Although I would very much like to know what prompted her to admit her feelings to us now_.'

_Something changed, Youko_. _Something happened to her in that shrine_, Kurama frowned at the emotions curling through their soul at the thought of what could have possibly been inside a barrier that strong.

Youko chuckled softly, making their eyes flash with dark possessiveness, '_Something did_… _But it makes no difference in the end_._ Kagome is starting to understand that her place is at our side_.'

Kurama followed the nervous path of her hands, unaware of the predatory smile sneaking across his lips the longer he watched her fingers toy with the curtains, _Is she?_

Youko wound his arms around their soul again, bringing his mouth to Kurama's ear as he whispered, '_Trust me_, _Kurama_._ She knows that we won't let her go_.'

…

Kagome felt a tingle chase along her senses, lifting her head and glancing back at the table only to be caught by that dark gleam in Kurama's honey-toned stare. The tightness in her expression slowly relaxed under the subtle twinge of his youki reaching towards her, and Kagome couldn't stop herself from smiling at him. It was difficult, but she still turned away from that entrancing, oddly comforting stare with effort to be certain her quiet discussion with the taiyoukai wouldn't be overheard. "He's not the one."

"_You believe him?_"

Kagome nodded once, reaching out habitually to brush aside the curtain and rest her hand on the window in front of her, "I believe him."

"_This is not good news, miko_."

"No, it's not," she blew out a heavy sigh, bracing herself for the reaction her next statement was sure to garner. "Neither was finding out who he says it really is."

Sesshoumaru fell silent on the other end for a moment before letting out a sound of veiled impatience, "_I am waiting for your answer_."

"I know," Kagome whispered, curling her hand back in to cover her heart and send out a faint, hungry pulse. Behind her, she could sense Kouga going still in response to the unexpected call and dipped her head to reassure him at the searching glance he turned to her. His jaw tightened, but he nodded in understanding and reluctantly went back to his lunch just as he opened his soul as well.

Kagome's eyes slipped closed, bracing her weight against the wall as the faint echoes of youki seeped back into her soul. Each separate beat of comfort winding into her from their widespread sources adding to her composure until the disquiet settled back down to a faint murmur inside her soul.

"_Is that better, miko?_" Sesshoumaru murmured in a warmer tone than he'd been using just as his signature energy wound through her more intensely than all the others. "_Or is there a need for interruption?_"

"No, nothing like that," she shook her head, sliding her hand up into her hair as she gathered her resolve. "I just thought that we wouldn't see any more from Musou. Naraku absorbed him so quickly-"

Kagome winced and pulled the phone away from her ear when she heard a shriek of protest she quickly identified as Shippou. "_Musou!?__ NO WAY! There's no way he lived this long! Naraku would have never let him go and_-herk-"

"_Continue, miko_," Sesshoumaru ordered calmly as soon as the tirade choked off. "_Who is Musou to you?_"

"Long story," Kagome couldn't help but smile when she felt the slender vine of her rose reach out to pet her fingers when they passed within close reach. "I'll tell you when I get home, or you can ask Shippou if you haven't killed him again."

"_The kitsune will recover_."

"I'm sure," Kagome retorted dryly.

"_I will call you home if you don't satisfy my questions, Kagome, don't think that I won't_," she could practically taste the way his eyebrow kicked up under that lofty threat. "_Kouga informs me that he would be more than happy to return you if I deem it necessary to your health and safety_."

"All right, Sesshoumaru," Kagome acquiesced, not bothering to hide her exhaustion from him. "But it really is a long story. In a nutshell, Musou was Naraku's first real attempt to get rid of his humanity. He was what remained of Onigumo in a body that Naraku had created, but it made Naraku too unstable. Naraku chased him down and reabsorbed him before his body could fall apart. And no, Musou was nothing like Hakudoushi."

"_Where is he now?_"

"Naraku said he's probably hiding in Makai," Kagome leaned her shoulder against the wall, biting her lip as she tried to resist glancing at the table when she felt the weight of Kurama's stare again. "I can't tell you for sure without having a look myself, but he doesn't have any reason to lie to me now."

"_This Sesshoumaru does not have the faith in that creature that you do, miko_," he snorted in disgust. "_I would sooner slaughter that ghost than I would speak with it under even the gravest situation_."

She smiled faintly, "You know it doesn't work that way for me."

"_It would be infinitely more simple if it did_," Sesshoumaru sighed. "_However, I will not waste time on impossible things_. _You will allow Kouga to restore your energy before he leaves you alone with that kitsune_."

"All right," she nodded in agreement, relief easing the stiffness in her shoulders that he wasn't going to recall her immediately under the disturbing new information.

"_You will have the phone I put in your bags with you at all times, and you will answer when this Sesshoumaru contacts you_," he continued to list his orders sternly. "_Your hybrid will accompany me to Makai to make inquires regarding the potential truth to these rumors_."

Kagome's brows rose, a faint giggle bubbling out of her, "Decided you needed to break out the big guns for this one?"

"_This Sesshoumaru will see for himself if the hybrid is worthy of trust_."

"Just don't freak him out too much, Sesshoumaru," Kagome scolded lightly. "There isn't a youkai alive that you can't intimidate within an inch of its life when you really put your mind to it, and you know it."

"_As it should be_," the smug amusement was clear in his voice. "_You will be careful with yourself, miko_. _This Sesshoumaru will be greatly displeased if he finds you have exerted yourself unnecessarily so quickly after forcing yourself to meet with Naraku's shadow_."

"Don't worry, I'm just planning on going to the house from here," she finally gave in, turning in profile to let her hair partially obscure her attempt to sneak a look at Kurama. "The most strenuous thing I'll probably do tonight is take a bath."

"_Either myself or Takashima will call to verify that_," Sesshoumaru promised. "_Finish the kitsune's steak and draw in Kouga's youki_. _Then you may take your bath and go to bed_."

"I love you too," Kagome snorted, wincing slightly as she felt the spike in youki coming from the table as soon as the rose began to scold her choice of words.

"_You will also inform this kitsune and his pets that in all things regarding yourself, miko, this Sesshoumaru comes first_," he instructed her with a definite note of sadistic pleasure when he heard the sounds coming from the rose. "_I will not have his jealousy put you in a dangerous situation_."

Kagome cupped her hand over the bud before it could really get going, carefully suppressing its youki down to a more docile level, "Relax, Sesshoumaru. I'm in good hands here."

"_That, miko, remains to be seen_."

………

_I don't know if I should be humiliated or extremely proud of you right now_, Kurama sighed as he squeezed the excess water out of his hair.

'_What? They were dreaming if they thought I would permit that arrangement_,' Youko frowned in severe disapproval at the very memory of their afternoon difficulties. '_Kagome will _not _be so far from my senses when the purpose of this vacation is for us to get to know each other without interruption_. _My lover will not be without my protection_.'

Kurama didn't bother to correct the mistaken singularity as he reached for the light cotton yukata resting on his stool. He was sighing as he slipped into the more formal sleepwear Sesshoumaru's 'vacation house' kept on hand, _Neither of them seemed to be very surprised that we rejected that placement_.

Youko snorted, flicking a hand as he absently reached up to smooth their fingers carefully through their dripping hair, '_They__ would have been surprised if we didn't_. _Kouga knew he was only putting in a token disagreement_ _and Kagome wouldn't have been happy if he forced us to fight it out in public_.'

Kurama wrinkled his nose, _He just wanted to be sure she was still happy enough with him that he got a kiss before he left_.

'_On one hand, I can't fault him for that_,' Youko made a vague sound of agreement, lifting the towel to go about the arduous task of drying their thick hair. '_However, if he makes any effort to follow through with that, I will simply have to kill him_.'

_You're in a good mood_, Kurama chuckled, redirecting their hands to start his vines reaching out for the hairdryer once they'd done all they could with the towel.

'_Of course I am!_' Youko sounded amazed that his happiness had been in question. '_Kagome is getting rid of that bothersome wolf as we speak, Hiei and Yuusuke have agreed to keep an eye on things to keep us from being interrupted by Reikai. And most importantly, our beautiful lover just admitted to having deeper feelings for us_._ In a public restaurant no less.'_

_I applaud your restraint for not tackling her to the ground on the spot_, Kurama couldn't resist taunting dryly, turning his head for his vines as the faint whirring noise of the dyer filled the bathroom.

'_You wouldn't have complained if I had, smartass, so unless you want me to let you handle your sexual control on your own I suggest you give me the credit I deserve_,' Youko threatened with a meaningful snap of ki across their soul to get Kurama flinching. '_I know you were just as excited as I was, and just as eager to show her how much we liked hearing her say what she said_.'

Kurama frowned at his reflection for a moment before he let out a heavy sigh and lowered himself to sit on the stool his vines quickly supplied for him. His gaze shifted to the side as he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the counter and clasping his hands together in front of his mouth. "What are we doing, Youko?"

Youko perked up, focused and alert at the change in his tone, '_About what?_'

_This_, Kurama closed his eyes, resting his forehead on his hands. _What are we doing? Two months ago if anyone had suggested we would be chasing down a miko with the intent to possess every piece of her soul we would have laughed_. _Maybe killed them depending on the situation, but we definitely would have been laughing_.

'_You want to have this discussion now?_' Youko cocked his head to one side, readjusting to the more serious mood.

_You've been holding me off long enough_, Kurama challenged. _You think I haven't noticed? You've been just as confused by all this as I am_. _Everything we're feeling_,_ what made it all so different? Why is it so intense now?_

'_Two months ago we were not where we are now_,' Youko sighed, carefully sinking himself down deeper into their soul and winding his arms around their soul to cushion the disquiet winding through them. '_Things change, Kurama_.'

_That's funny coming from you_, he lifted his head, wondering briefly why he was letting himself be comforted by the overbearing kitsune before brushing it aside in favor of addressing the more important issues.

'_I create any change necessary to suit my needs, so it shouldn't be "funny" to hear me say that_,' Youko let out an indignant huff. '_Why are you questioning our decision now? What about our situation is worrying you?_'

Kurama tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling without really focusing on anything as the vines went about finishing their task. _You aren't worried?_

'_What reason do we have to worry?_' Youko cocked his head to one side, trying to convey his difficulty understanding this particular mood swing. '_There is nothing about our nature that we need to hide from our lover if that's was has you up in knots_. _She knows how we work, and you can't deny that_. _She was the one asking us to feed on her_. _We can be ourselves to her the way we need to be_.'

_She's a widowed miko who happens to be an integral part of a youkai family that has been hiding seamlessly in the Ningenkai since before the barriers split_.

'_My standards have always been high_.'

Kurama brought his hand down on the counter so hard the ceramic nearly cracked, _Dammit, you're missing the point!_

Youko fell silent, eyes narrowing faintly as he let Kurama feel more of him winding even more deeply throughout their soul. '_Am I?_'

Kurama covered his eyes with one hand, forcing himself to take a deep, cleansing breath before he snapped at the kitsune again. "I'm losing my mind," he finally gritted out.

In any other situation, Youko would have instantly pounced on the temptation to turn that remark into a prime deprecation. Now, however, he clucked his tongue in affectionate disapproval and forced their body to sit up with regal elegance. 'You _are being foolish_. _Why are you picking now to be pessimistic? This is supposed to be the fun part_.'

_I'm allowed to have a moment, all right?_ Kurama resisted Youko's attempt to control their posture and slumped forward, folding his arms and resting his chin on them as a thoughtful expression smoothed away his frown. _Doesn't it seem strange to you? How much we crave having her heart? Her soul? I've never felt like this, and I know you haven't either_.

Youko chuckled, shaking his head like a much older sibling preparing to speak with a young child, '_You still don't understand, do you?_'

_We're obsessed with her_.

'_Perhaps, but I still don't see why that upsets you_,' Youko informed him with a shrug. '_I wanted a lover, you wanted to breed_… _We found the perfect lover to do both_.'

_You're over-simplifying matters just a bit, don't you think? _Kurama looked into the mirror again, waiting for the telltale flicker of gold. _Why her? Why does it matter who we want when it hasn't before?_

'_Why not?_' Youko arched one of their brows in mocking question. '_I want her, and I actually like her beyond lust. I like how she feels, how she looks_, _the way she kisses us_… _You can feel it, can't you?_'

_Of _course_ I can feel it_, _Youko_, _I'm not an idiot_, Kurama frowned in irritation.

Youko's brows lifted, and he let out a soft sound of understanding when he prodded deeper through their soul, '_That's what's scaring you about this_. _You can feel the way it's making us both burn every time we touch her_.'

_She's a miko_, Kurama defended.

Youko rolled his eyes in exasperation, '_You said you weren't an idiot, so don't act like one, Kurama_._ You know I hate it when you do that_. _And you know damn well that what we feel when she touches us is not purification_.'

_It still can't be healthy to want to possess her so completely_, Kurama shivered and sat up, staring more intently at his reflection. _What's wrong with us?_

'_It's our way_.'

_We're moving too quickly_, Kurama tried to protest.

'_Do you actually believe that our feelings would change if we slowed our pursuit?_' Youko's mocking laugh rippling through their soul clearly displayed his own opinion of that idea. '_You have wanted me to admit to you what my intentions were since you first realized you were feeling so possessive_._ But now that I am telling you, you're questioning them? Why are you so afraid of admitting to yourself that you feel the same way I do?_'

Kurama set his jaw, brows lowering against the nagging insecurity as Youko's amusement sparked his temper, _Because__ it makes me forget which one of us is controlling our body_.

'_That's hardly cause for concern_,' Youko slid his hands carefully down Kurama's spine, smiling to himself when their body tried to arch. '_We are one in our desire, Kurama_. _This miko is going to belong to us,_ _and you'll be lying to me if you try and say you don't have chills from anticipating that_. _Tell yourself you're human until you lose consciousness, but you will always be this_, _be me_. _And you will still wake up wanting to consume every last inch of this human miko until she is as much a part of us as our own body_.'

_Hiei is right_, Kurama reached out to the mirror, lightly resting his fingertips against the cool glass. _It is more than a little disturbing to see you behave seriously after seeing the other side of you for so long_.

'_I am not to be taken for a fool just because I enjoy having fun_,' Youko flashed him a razor-edged smile through their lips. '_You are fully aware of that, just as you're aware of how grossly underestimated our skills so often are behind this face of ours_.'

Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly, continuing to study Youko's eyes through his own reflection. _How do I know you aren_'_t coloring my emotions towards her?_

'_Because I have never felt a need to hide my disagreements from you in regards to what is usually your poor taste in lovers_,' Youko shrugged nonchalantly. '_Face it_, _Kurama_, _you've finally found a woman who awakens the side of you that you pretend you can turn on and off_. _You can feel how much you need her to feel at home with these feelings and it scares you_.'

Kurama's hand curled into a fist, resisting the urge to break the mirror and put a stop to the sly look in those golden eyes, _This__ isn't me_.

'_This _is _you underneath all the pretense and humanity_, _or else you wouldn't be acting so heavily on our instincts_,' Youko shot back easily. '_Stop angsting over this like a dramatic little human teenager and admit that you want to be possessive about Kagome_.'

"Hey," the soft call had him instantly snapping back to the present as he straightened in surprise and turned to find the door wide open. Kagome was watching him, a cup of tea held out towards him in one hand with the vine around her throat holding another one carefully up by her shoulder. "You were throwing vibes all over the house, Kurama. Are you all right?"

"I'm sorry," Kurama stood quickly, shaking off his frustration and trying to recollect his thoughts to smooth over his behavior. "I-"

"Don't apologize to me," the concern smoothed out of her expression after she'd made a quick sweep of him from head to toe to check for herself, bringing a soft smile to her lips as she dismissed his apology. She reached out and clasped his wrist to lift his hand enough to pass off the tea when he didn't take the hint, "I'm the one who came in without knocking."

Kurama blinked, looking down at the tea and back up at her as the rose chittered in amusement and passed her the cup it was holding. He tilted his head, staring down at her with an unreadable expression as all the tangled frustration and confusion inside him began to smooth away. The longer he looked down at her smile, and tasted the very real worry she had been feeling for him, the less it mattered why he'd been so upset in the first place, "Thank you."

'_You know why_.'

_Hush_.

"It's probably my fault you feel upset anyway," Kagome leaned back against the doorframe and sighed, looking back down the empty hall. "I shouldn't have let you stand in holy magic for so long. I was being selfish."

"No, it wasn't that," Kurama hurried to assure her, reaching out to brush the back of his fingers across her cheek. He turned her face back towards him, cupping her cheek as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "I'm sorry. It's not your fault, Kagome. I was just getting carried away with some old troubles."

Kagome closed her eyes, suppressing her shiver at the touch of his lips on her skin, "You were still hurting on the inside. I could feel it."

Youko perked up eagerly, '_Feel it?_'

Kurama pulled away, looking down at her in confusion, "You could tell what I was feeling?"

"I've spent enough time around you to know how it feels when you aren't calm," Kagome admitted softly, slipping back out into the hall with a quick look over her shoulder. "Come on, I made up one of the spare rooms for you. Or you can come to the kitchen and finish the tea with me if you're done in here."

Kurama arched an eyebrow, his lips twitching upward when he caught the faint blush on her cheeks. A curl of warmth snuck through their soul at the implication in her words, and the almost shy note to her admission, _She__ knows us_. _She took the time to learn how our ki feels_.

"It's not as nice as the hotel, and you'll have to live with my cooking," Kagome sipped at her tea as she started to walk, reaching up to stroke the vine playing with her hair in what seemed to be becoming a habitual gesture.

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Kurama slipped out into the hall behind her, reaching out and catching her hand to lace their fingers together. "I'm a fair cook myself you know, and I'm not all that fond of hotels."

'_Not usually a lot of nature on hand_,' Youko added arrogantly. '_And too many eyes that I don't care to have on me when I'm busy with more important matters_.'

Kagome almost faltered a step when he tugged her back to match his pace, sliding his arm around her waist to tuck her up against his side. His hand curled down over her hip possessively, radiating a wave of youki through her so quickly that it had her soul trying to reach out towards him before she could fully control it. _Oh_…

"Besides, we've spent enough time going to different rooms when we say goodnight," Kurama couldn't stop himself from smiling in arrogant satisfaction when he felt the shudder run through her.

'_You see? When you stop asking questions and just let yourself act, it comes so naturally, doesn't it?_' Youko chuckled softly, obviously relishing the ease of the intimate teasing they were indulging in.

_Are you going to bother me with this now?_ Kurama gave her a hip a squeeze, guiding them back towards the kitchen when she seemed to lose her train of thought.

'_You started it_,' Youko shrugged. 'I'm _not the one trying to over-analyze our decision to keep her more seriously than we first intended_.'

Kagome caught herself when she felt the first whisper of encouragement, shaking off the urging in her soul to open more actively to that seductive youki. Forcefully calming her instincts, she brought her elbow lightly into his ribs to jolt him enough that the smug curl in his aura flickered. "We still have different rooms, Kurama."

'_The only way we will be sleeping in "our" room is if Kagome is lying in that bed beside us_,' Youko turned up his nose.

_Don_'_t you think you_'_re pushing things?_ Kurama reluctantly let her duck out from under his arm when they reached the kitchen, following her pointed direction to sit at the little table in the corner.

'_I have let you take more time with getting under her skin than any other lover I have ever set my eyes on_,' Youko scoffed at the suggestion. '_If it were up to me_, _Kurama_, _we would have dragged her off the first time we were kissing her_._ That was the when we found out how very much we like the way she tastes_. _If not then, we've had countless opportunities to carry her off since_. _And now?__ Now I am going to see to it we begin our vacation properly_.'

Kagome felt a chill run down her spine, glancing over her shoulder as she reached for the tea kettle. Her hand froze on the handle when she found herself under one of Kurama's more piercing golden stares, the tea cup hiding his mouth as the rising steam gave him a particularly devilish appearance. _Oh dammit all to hell, he's already starting_.

"My rose is very fond of you," Kurama observed with a smile as he set down his teacup, his more predatory instincts responding to the subtle change in the air. _We need her to be at ease for this to work_,_ Youko_, _stop looking at her like you want to eat her_.

'_But I _do. _That is not a bad start for conversation though, considering the relationship those two have formed is a surprise all its own_,' Youko chuckled, extending his youki to re-strengthen the little plant's orders. '_None of my roses have ever attached themselves to any female I planned to partner_. _Tell her how special it makes her_. _I want to see if it makes her more comfortable_.'

"None of my personal roses have ever been so attached to anyone but me, you know," Kurama obliged that request, nodding his head to where the vines were separating and seemingly experimenting with hairstyles.

Kagome's hand lifted reflexively, giggling softly when the bud of the rose rubbed against her palm before going back to work. "Shippou told me that it said you had never given away one of your 'special roses.' After it told him you liked me."

"He actually translated for it?" Kurama's brows lifted in pleased surprise.

"A little at first, but now Shippou says he refuses to help it pass along what you want to say to seduce me through it," she nodded, lifting the kettle off its stand and joining him at the table. "I'm getting a handle of the basics though. It's very smart."

Kurama's eyes flickered gold as they watched the way the rose preened under her praise as Kagome sat down. Despite the complete oddity of the situation, there was an honest fondness in the miko's eyes for the unnatural –even potentially deadly- rose, and to hear her acknowledging its ability to think was incredible.

"Not to say it doesn't get out of line now and then if I let it," Kagome had drawn the bud back down in front of her face to fix it with a stern look. Yet the frown softened as soon as the rose appeared to droop at the chastisement. Sensing victory, the rose pressed its version of a kiss to her nose quickly, retracting back into her hair before she could scold it more. Sighing in exasperated affection, she turned a dazzling smile back on the kitsune watching her so intently, "Thank you for trusting me with it."

Youko's smile passed through Kurama's face as he reached out and pushed down on her wrist to get her to release her teacup. Covering that hand once she had obliged, he squeezed her fingers and waited for her to look up at him, "I intend to spoil you to the fullest extent of my abilities, little lover."

Kagome tried to laugh it off, ducking her head and setting down the kettle to have a hand free for a nervous brush through her hair. _Damn him for having such a sexy voice_, she snuck a glance up at him through her bangs, stiffening when he brushed them off her face with slow precision. _And for having such a romantic side_. _How does he know just what to say to me?_

Kurama trailed his fingertips down the side of her face, soaking in the warmth of her skin against him at his leisure, "You can stare at me if you want, Kagome. It's not necessary for you to try and be covert."

"You're about to lose your fingers," Kagome warned, but the corners of her lips were quirking up. "You know I mean it."

Unable to resist, Youko blended them together and leaned across the small table, tugging her forward to murmur against her lips, "You are still very sexy when you are threatening me."

Kagome bit his lip, pulling back to scrape her teeth over it and release him before he could respond in kind, "You think you are entirely too clever for your own good, Kurama."

Youko blinked in surprise at her retreat before grinning widely at the challenge, "Is that so?"

"You're good," she nodded with a soft chuckle, folding her arms over her chest in a discreetly protective gesture. "But I have experience with smooth-talkers like you, experts, and it's going to take more than that to get your way."

'_Oh I hope so_,' Youko reached up to touch where she'd bitten him, slowly dragging his tongue across the stinging flesh as he savored the sensation and flavor she'd left behind. '_It just wouldn't be fun if she didn't pretend she didn't want us a little longer_.'

_But you said_-

'_I _said _that I was going to begin our vacation properly, that doesn't mean we are going to suddenly become lazy_,' Youko cut him off before he could even complete the thought. '_I want to chase her, and play with her_. _In the end we will still have caught her_,_ but this lover is special_. _We've discussed this, remember? She needs to see how much she needs us_. _She needs to crave us, Kurama_.'

"I would never dream to provide you nothing but lip-service, Kagome," Kurama tried to push the kitsune to the back of his thoughts when the intensity of his words sent a chill down his spine.

"I'm sure you wouldn't," Kagome turned her attention down to the kettle, focusing on the mundane task of refilling their cups to collect herself.

'_A gentleman always follows through_,' Youko couldn't resist adding once it became obvious his other remarks were going unhindered.

_I'm not repeating that_.

'_You should, she has a wicked sense of humor or she wouldn't have groped us as often as she has_,' Youko chided matter-of-factly.

"Do you mind if I ask you something, Kurama?" Kagome tried to sound casual, propping her elbows up on the table and lacing her fingers together to make a cradle for her chin. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Youko and Kurama both when still, all their attention turning towards their very nervous companion with perfectly matched severity at her abrupt shift in moods, "By all means, Kagome."

:_How__ deep will your pain run when he betrays you for your power as well?_:

Kagome winced, lifting her hand to her head for a moment, turning her focus inward to close off the memory echoing those damning words. She gritted her teeth, pushing down the protective flush of jyaki within her before it could get out of hand sensing her uncertainty. It was almost enough to convince her to hold back, allow her calm to resettle before voice the potentially dangerous question. But… it had to be done, and she knew it. _Waiting will only make it harder in the end_, _better to do it now and get it over with_.

Squaring her shoulders, and trying to internally prepare for the worst situation, Kagome focused on Kurama's face to watch for his reactions to her inquiry. "Why did you pick me?"

Kurama leaned back, so startled by hearing her ask the same question he'd asked Youko that it was a simple matter for his much less inhibited side to take over speaking for them, "In general… or were you thinking of a more specific incident?"

"Both," Kagome calmed slightly at his reaction, the stiffness slowly being replaced by a more regal posture as she waited for his answers. Even still, her mind was racing with the questions she couldn't ask, biting down on her tongue to keep the damning concerns silent. _Why did you ask me that question? Do you know me? Know us? How do you pass over the promises of the Shikon-no-Tama so easily?_

"I've already told you that I loved your hands," Youko shifted their weight forward, reaching out to trace a slow caress across her knuckles without taking his eyes off her face. "I noticed them the first day I saw you, when you were standing in the doorway of your temple and watching Takashima skate away from another youkai."

Kagome frowned, searching her memory until realization struck and her brows lifted, "But that-?"

"Was a long time ago?" Youko supplied, lips curving in triumph at having surprised her. "I told Sesshoumaru that I had been watching you much longer than we had even thought to begin dredging up stories from the past. I had already decided to have you for myself, although I _am _sorry I didn't articulate that well the first time we spoke."

_Stop trying to make me sound stupid_, Kurama prodded him sharply in disapproval.

'_You _did _sound stupid_.'

"You asked me to bear your child," Kagome's lips twitched up in a nostalgic smile, eyes taking on distant shadows for a beat of time until she shook it off and looked at him again.

_Suddenly I don't think she thought it was stupid_, Kurama murmured in amazement as he watched the subtle play of emotions across her face.

'_Suddenly, I think you're right_,' Youko pushed forward, lifting their hand up to cup her chin and be certain she was looking into his eyes. "A question you still haven't answered for me, little lover," he pointed out, trying to subtly encourage her to rise to the bait.

"You were serious?" Kagome blurted out, instantly wincing when she realized just how bad that was going to sound. "Damn, I didn't mean it that way."

'_I should hope not_,' Youko drawled out, holding back his reaction to wait for her clarification.

She let out a faint sound of disgust aimed entirely at herself, leaning back and covering her eyes before raking that hand up into her hair in frustration, "I'm sorry. Something about you makes everything I want to say come out wrong."

Kurama chuckled quietly, reaching out to take her hand out of her hair, glancing at the rose to silently convey his instructions to smooth the upset strands. "I know the feeling, Kagome. There are times you do that to me as well."

"I'm not sure that's a good thing," the laughter was infectious, and Kagome ducked her head slightly in shield her own amusement at their shared "affliction."

"I have it on good authority that it _is_ a good sign," Kurama assured her at Youko's insistence, giving her hand a light tug to help restore her comfort level. "It seems that our feelings for each other are very similar if we are having the same problems."

"I'm supposed to be too old to act stupid because of a boy," Kagome pouted slightly, feeling safe enough to look up at those green-gold eyes with his teasing.

"In your defense, I am much more compelling than any of the 'boys' I've seen in your company," Kurama winked at her, delighting in the blush that spread across her cheeks as well as the half-hearted swat to his shoulder.

"You're certainly vying for the top-spot as far as arrogance is concerned," Kagome chided him, but the sparkle in her eyes showed she wasn't nearly as annoyed with him as she was pretending to be.

"I always have enjoyed being the one on top," Youko snuck out the remark before Kurama could censor it, snickering to himself at the internal hiss of irritation.

"Mm, I'm sure you have, you pervert," Kagome tugged her hand out from under his to pick up her teacup again. "I should break your heart and tell you that I don't like that position."

"I can convince you," Youko replied in perfect confidence.

Kagome burst out laughing, catching herself before she dropped her teacup under the casual way he'd just made that announcement. Shaking her head, she bit down on her lip and focused on him with a strangely serious light in her eyes, "You and my husband would have gotten along absolutely famously."

Youko let out a triumphant bark of laughter, eagerly blending with Kurama as their expression lost all hint of teasing, '_Yes! She's going to open up for us!_ _Be honest, Kurama_, _and_ _encourage her to keep speaking_.'

_I know that_, _Youko_, _hush and focus! _Kurama scolded him quickly, clenching and unclenching his fists against the urge to grab her hand again when that melancholy look clouded her eyes again.

"Hiei told me you already knew about him," Kagome tilted her head to one side, the look quickly changing to something much more guarded.

'_She's prodding, trying to see if whatever he told her was true_,' Youko cursed under his breath. '_Dammit, I knew we should have beaten the answers out of him when he told us they talked about us_.'

_Too late for that _now, Kurama nodded to show her she was correct, sitting up straight and taking extra care to hold her gaze without the slightest hint of hesitation. "Kouga mentioned him, and that he had died. But I thought it would make you more comfortable if I waited until you were ready to tell me about him."

Youko let out a sigh of relief when the tension along her shoulders relaxed, and she dropped her gaze self-consciously to the mug in front of her. "I'm sorry," Kagome wrapped her hands loosely around the mug to prevent giving away just how much she didn't really want to have this conversation by fidgeting. "I wasn't sure how you would take that, and I just-" she paused, turning over how she wanted to give her excuse before she simply shrugged and admitted, "-I wasn't sure if I should tell you."

Kurama was quiet, feeling his own inhibitions about their instincts sliding away as he soaked in her obvious dilemma. Realization had him leaning towards her, trying to wordlessly offer comfort to what had to have been more difficult than any soul-searching he'd found himself doing, _Do you think she felt she was being unfaithful to his memory? In wanting us_, _I mean_. _Is that why she has been so careful?_

'_Perhaps_,' Youko observed quietly, closing his eyes and reaching out for her soul for some hint to her reasons behind the anxiety now that he had a clearer line into her. '_I was right though_, _she thought that finding out she was married before would change our decision_.'

Kurama's was already touching her face by the time he realized his hand had moved, turning her chin up to lift her gaze, "Did Hiei tell you that knowing about your husband didn't change my feelings?"

Despite the gravity of the topic, Kagome couldn't hold back the tiny smile dying to break free at the threatening edge in his voice. She had no doubt that if she told him "no" that he'd be up and out the door with every intention of doing serious damage to the hybrid. And yet, even the wicked side of her couldn't quite dredge up enough sadism to tell that lie, "He told me."

"Good," Kurama's tense expression eased, releasing a pent up breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding.

'_We would have killed him if he hadn't_.'

_Yes, yes we would have_, Kurama agreed softly.

"You know… you really should look for someone without previous ties to have children with, Kurama," Kagome nudged gently, reaching up to lightly cover his hand with her own. _Damn, this is harder than I thought it would be_. "I have a lot of history, and you are… someone in a position to be much more selective."

Youko's eyes snapped open as his concentration shattered, letting out a humorless laugh of disbelief as he intoned softly, '_My ears are playing tricks on me_.'

"I'm sorry?" Kurama tilted his head, not entirely certain they understood what she was trying to get at. Or more accurately, not entirely certain he_ wanted_ to understand what she was trying to say, _It_…_ Am I going crazy or does it sound like she's about to tell us we_'_re too good for her?_

'_It sounds like she's about to try and turn me down_,' Youko drawled out in a mild tone that had Kurama warily putting a check on his control.

"I'm not sure I'm the one you want to have such a serious relationship with," Kagome mentally said a prayer that she wasn't about to make a mistake in being so honest with him, frowning at how difficult it was to get the words out. "I'm a miko and all… and you have enough of a reputation as a youkai _and _a human to marry someone from a more influential family, someone with a calmer life than mine to be raising kids."

"Calmer?" Kurama repeated numbly, more than concerned by the silence from Youko than his own seemingly delayed ability to process what she was saying.

"Not to say I don't like you," she winced, reaching up to push her hair back again when his youki seemed to be hovering tensely in the air between them. _Hell, this isn't coming out right at all_. "You… make me feel things that I didn't think I could. But then again, I'm not sure if… dammit, I'm making a mess of trying to explain this."

'_Oh yes_. _Yes she is_,' Youko purred out darkly, leaning back in their soul with over-exaggerated elegance and covering his mouth with one hand as his youki steadily mingled through their soul.

"I haven't been in any type of relationship since I lost my husband, Kurama," Kagome tried again, making an absently sweeping gesture with one hand. "If you're serious- if you're looking to have children, I mean. I'm just not sure I can make that kind of promise."

Kurama stared at her in amazement, blinking as he tried unsuccessfully to gather his scattered thoughts, _She_-_? Holy fucking gods_,_ did she just_-?

Kagome continued to watch him as the silence stretched, sighing heavily at the distracted, even glazed look in his eyes. _Hell_, _I didn't mean to throw him so off balance with this_. Unable to sit still as the youki thickened in the air, she slid her chair back and rose to her feet, reaching out to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze, "I didn't mean to make this awkward. I know you're stressed out, Kurama, and if you want to unwind with me here, I'd be glad for the company. Even I can tell you're tense, and you shouldn't be. You'll find a girl."

Kurama's hand snapped up to catch her wrist as soon as she started to pull away from him, tilting his head to one side to look up at her through his bangs, "It is quite magnanimous of you to extend such an offer to me, Kagome."

Kagome's fingers curled instinctively at the way his lowered voice slid along her senses, practically screaming with danger as he pressed his other hand on the table and fluidly rose to his feet. She tipped her head back to follow his eyes when he didn't seem inclined to step back, or release her for that matter, "Well, it would be ridiculous if I tried to say I wasn't attracted to you."

"Yes, it would be."

_Okay, this is not exactly going the way I was expecting_, Kagome tugged lightly on her hand as her resolve buckled and she took a step back, not entirely surprised when he followed. Or when he kept walking her backwards until her back hit the wall, _Just__ perfect_, _where's Shippou when I need him to translate kitsune?_

Kurama brought up his other hand to brace against the wall beside her head, effectively caging her in as his eyes flashed completely golden. A slow, positively wicked grin spread across his lips as his head tilted to one side in a very precise motion, "I'm afraid I must inform you… I have already found the only 'girl' that I intend to pursue seriously, Kagome."

Kagome pressed her hand to his chest, eyes widening, "Kurama-?"

"Really, lover, I was polite enough to let you speak without interrupting you," Kurama pressed one finger to her lips to cut her off, not caring just how completely he and Youko had mixed together as he lowered his head to whisper into her ear. "It's my turn."


	49. Beauty In The Breakdown

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Whoo! BUSY month… Kazusa had her baby, work went batshit insane, I got sick trying to cheer up Puppy given her own battles with inhumanly resistant illnesses, and now? Hah, now I'm just one hacking, sneezing, death-to-all-rays-of-sunlight-and-loud-noises pile of Holiday Cheer™. Go me. –flops over and dies- Beh. Ah well, at least I posted that new story, and I got this chapter done. Keep in mind though, the chapter here at FF.N is going to be… ah, considerably shorter this time. Any materials unsuitable for the rating have been edited, and all individuals below the legal age to read such materials should stay right here. For those of you who are of age, the full version will be up on Mediaminer either later today or early tomorrow… depending. (Eh heh, alcohol may be involved… hence the "depending" bit.)

That being said- as always, to all of you, I absolutely adore you! I don't generally give out individual responses because I don't want anyone to feel left out, but there were a couple people who mentioned a certain characterization that got me all squooshy-happy (of course that might just be the bottle and a half of NyQuil I've consumed, but whatever the reason, I was squooshy-happy). So thank you very much for that, Belle and Panda. And as ever and always, to all my junkies, buddies, reviewers and readers… your abilities to brighten the worst of my days are so very much loved and appreciated. Thank you very, _very_ much, and I hope you're all enjoying your holidays.

By Any Other Name

-Beauty in the Breakdown-

"_This _is the great secret you're hiding from the miko?"

Shippou's concentration shattered at the voice so close at his side, jolting away from the sound and letting out a strangled cry of dismay when the instinctive move sent his chair tilting severely to the side. One hand scrabbled to catch hold of the table and straighten himself out, but only succeeded in sending a stack of thick, white papers flying when a light nudge tipped him the rest of the way to the floor.

Hiei tilted his head, snickering at the sight of the irritating kitsune sprawled out on the floor amongst the blank pages with the wooden folding chair crumpled on top of him, "Very graceful, Takashima."

Shippou blinked, twisting around to glare up at the hybrid as a low growl built in his throat, "_You!_ Goddammit, you tri-cloptic fuckhead, have you ever heard of knocking?!"

Hiei shrugged, reaching out to casually pluck one of the pages off Shippou's desk, "The miko left instructions for me to make myself 'at home' here in her absence. Considering your habit for barging in to any and all rooms without a thought to who may be trying to have a moment of privacy, you don't have much room to talk."

"Get your hands off that, they aren't done!" Shippou shoved himself up on his forearms, muttering irritably and kicking the chair aside a little more forcefully than necessary before he rolled to his feet.

Hiei hopped back out of the way to dodge the kitsune's grab at the page, not bothering to look up from his curious perusal of the "borrowed" paper, "Who writes this nonsense?"

"It's not nonsense, it's romantic," he defended, raking his hand through his hair as he resisted the urge to chase the hybrid around his room more violently. There was a sly tilt to Hiei's lips that suggested he was milking the situation for all he could, and Shippou absolutely refused to add to Hiei's amusement. "And I write most of it. Shinju adds a bit here and there if he has an idea."

"You draw all the images yourself?" Hiei tilted the page in his hand to one side, momentarily wondering if a human could be twisted into such a position and still be enjoying it as much as the scene suggested.

"Of course!" Shippou puffed up defensively, never taking his eyes off the hybrid as the door opened again. "You think I'd have any respect for myself as a kitsune if I put my name on someone else's work?"

"Technically it _is _someone else's work, Shippou," Kaze interrupted their staring match, deliberately walking between them to disrupt their line of vision and dissolve the thick tension as he set a mug of coffee on the desk. "Unless of course, that happens to be one of the new doujinshi you're doing for your own series?"

"My editor insisted," Shippou muttered, folding his arms over his chest and reluctantly answering the question in his expression.

"She always has been fond of the male pairings, hasn't she?" Kaze held out his hand towards Hiei expectantly, using the bits of information to distract the hybrid just enough that he automatically followed the silent hint. The young human glanced over the page critically for a moment, turning it in the same fashion Hiei had done moments ago, and chuckling when Shippou quickly snatched it back.

"It's not done yet," he defended again, stacking it with the other pages and meticulously straightening his workspace as his chin reflexively lifted in silent arrogance under their amused stares. "If you want to see it so badly, buy it when it's printing, Kaze. Help support the family and all."

"I'd hardly call buying your work adding to the family fund, Shippou. It goes to support your chocolate addiction," Kaze reached out, hooking his smallest finger through the back of the kitsune's necklace and giving it a teasing yank. "And that bizarre love you have for costuming."

"I don't hear you complain when you come to me for repairs in your uniform," Shippou swatted his hand away and settled his necklace back in place over the plain black tank top. Frowning again, he twisted to face them both and demand, "Now what the hell are you two bothering me for? I already told everyone I didn't want to be disturbed."

"Sexual intercourse between fictional characters is that difficult to draw?" Hiei folded his arms over his chest, one eyebrow kicking up when Shippou bristled at the taunt and growled at him.

"You can get the fuck out of my room now," the kitsune flicked his ponytail back over his shoulder in an agitated motion. "No matter how much I'd love to kick your ass without Kagome or Sesshoumaru-sama here to referee, I _do _have to finish this."

Hiei snorted at the claim, "You are welcome to _try _'kicking my ass,' kitsune. However, you will have to wait for later. I'm not looking for a fight with you at the moment."

"Oh?"

Hiei nodded, keeping his expression carefully bland, "I want to know where I can find a computer."

Curiosity quickly overrode Shippou's temper as he turned to stare down at the hybrid, "A computer?"

"And privacy."

Shippou tilted his head thoughtfully, searching for any hint as to why Hiei would ask about a computer, "Shinju has one in the office, and Souta probably has one in his room. You can ask either of them if they'd mind letting you use it. But why the hell do you need a computer? You don't exactly look the type to be keeping up on human technology."

"Personal reasons," Hiei shrugged casually.

"Listen, you little prick! You're going to have to start realizing that in our family, we-!" Shippou's eyes flashed as he rounded on the unperturbed hybrid, when Kaze pressed a hand gently to the kitsune's chest and cut him off.

"Actually, Hiei-san, I wonder if you wouldn't be willing to put your personal matter on hold a little while longer," Kaze folded his hands together in the sleeves of his kimono once he was certain Shippou had backed down from the argument. "Sesshoumaru-sama is calling for you, and it would be in poor taste to keep him waiting."

"For what reason?" Hiei's attention shifted, casually resting his left hand on the hilt of his katana at the mention of the taiyoukai.

Shippou ignored the question, mouth setting in a grim line as he questioned Kaze on his own, "They're going now? All ready?"

"Going where?" Hiei's frown deepened when they seemed to be ignoring him in favor of sharing an odd assortment of coded looks and nods. Hiei blatantly let his ki flare in a show of intimidation when it seemed the two of them were about upgrade from the silent communication to their own vague conversation without answering him, "I said… Going where?"

Kaze smiled, reflexively lifting his hand in a blessing pose to soothe the hybrid's temper, unaware of how much that gesture made him look like his younger cousin. "My apologies… Shippou, considering Sesshoumaru-sama's plans, if you would call Kagome-sama this evening to check in on her?"

"Sure, I'll do it," Shippou muttered out as he nodded and righted his fallen chair to resume his place at his desk.

"And be _nice _when you call," Kaze scolded, motioning for Hiei to follow him out of the kitsune's room. "Kagome is still tired from visiting the shrine, and will have little patience."

Shippou made an absent motion to dismiss that reminder, "Ease off, Kaze, I know how to talk to my sister when she's drained. I still know her better than any of you think you do."

Hiei's brows rose slightly when he saw the way the human's jaw tightened at the thinly-veiled cruelty in that response, filing away the reaction to pick apart at his leisure as Kaze closed the door on the kitsune's room. "What does Sesshoumaru want with me, Hitokaze?"

Sighing, Kaze folded his hands back into his sleeves and started down the hallway, "Sesshoumaru-sama is waiting outside the compound. He has decided that with Kagome-sama away with Kurama-san, it's time to take you into Makai with him to meet the other side of our family."

Hiei's eyes widened, momentarily coming to a stop as he stared at Kaze's guarded expression, _Into Makai_. _They're going to show me how they pass the barrier undetected?_

"After the experience Kagome-sama had with the attack you witnessed, Sesshoumaru-sama has deemed it necessary to make personal inquiries in the realm it originated from." Kaze continued with a sort of calm precision that had Hiei inwardly admitting a grudging respect for his ability to maintain control of his emotions. "You can understand how unsettling it is to know that there is a youkai in Makai who is not only capable of organizing such an extensive grouping, but is also hunting for her specifically."

"Then this youkai knows that she's the jewel," Hiei shook off his thoughts, lengthening his stride to catch up with the taller human again.

Kaze nodded, "It appears that is the case, yes."

"Who is it?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama has asked me to allow him to handle this matter," Kaze shook his head to show he wasn't the one who was going to answer that question. "He called to request that you meet him in front of the main compound as soon as possible."

Hiei couldn't hold in the slight chuckle of sardonic amusement, "The taiyoukai does not waste time."

Kaze finally smiled at him, even if it didn't quite reach his eyes, "We have not been a peaceful, successful family for five hundred years by dragging our feet when conflicts arise. Besides, any time the Shikon-no-Tama is involved, our history has proven that it is best to move as quickly as we can to handle the matter."

_Better than allowing an enemy to gain enough strength to become a true threat_, Hiei glanced through the open shoji as they passed the dojo. Not in the least bit surprised to see Shinju kneeling in meditation in front of the memorial to their ancestors, seeming perfectly oblivious to the world around him. Shaking his head, Hiei refocused his attention forward and felt the strangest urge to offer some sort of compliment to that philosophy, "I am… impressed by how cleanly life in this family is run."

"We all know where we belong here," Kaze murmured softly, catching the sideways look from his cousin and momentarily tipping his chin towards his chest in acknowledgement. "It is not so difficult to function as a team when you learn to accept your limits and recognize there is greater strength in embracing your weaknesses than in hiding from them."

Hiei arched an eyebrow, "Weaknesses like the miko?"

Kaze paused with his hand on the shoji leading to the backyard, lips twisting in a wry smile for a moment before he answered in a more subdued tone. "Kagome-sama is more a weakness for some than she is for others. Sesshoumaru-sama does like to be kept waiting, Hiei-san."

_Touchy subject then_, Hiei nodded at the dismissal and walked past him, pausing for a moment to breathe in the untainted air and ponder the implications of Kaze's admission. _I'm obviously missing something important in the way these humans are associated with Sesshoumaru's _"_family_," _and with Kagome_. _Something simple_, _but it's definitely the key to linking this together_.

His gaze trailed back to the young man standing in the doorway, eyes narrowing with concentration even as the air at his feet seemed to bow inward in response to his rising youki. _I'll have to disturb Kurama's alone-time long enough to call Kagome after I finish whatever it is Sesshoumaru wants_.

When the hybrid simply vanished between one blink and the next, Kaze let his shoulders slump and stared blankly outside as he let his thoughts wander back over Shippou's words. One hand lifted to rub his temples wearily before lowering to rest over his heart, and finally fall back at his side, _Even__ after all this time_-

"Ignore him."

Kaze frowned, purposefully keeping his gaze outside as the calm instruction snapped him out of his brooding thoughts. Folding his hands up into his sleeves habitually, he answered flatly, "I'm not a child, Shinju. I know he's not serious."

Shinju was silent for a moment before he stepped out of the doorway, approaching his tense cousin to observe the rigid way he was holding himself. He reached out, lightly resting his palm against Kaze's back to try spreading more peaceful energy into him and counteract the anxiety, "Kaa-san has always and will always love us regardless of how little time we have had together. Shippou is frustrated, and you know how he gets under these circumstances."

"I said I know," he glared back over his shoulder for a moment, staring into identical eyes until the temper simply melted out of him. Kaze turned away again, fists clenching as he murmured quietly, "I know my lessons as well as you do, Shinju. 'Kitsune are experts at finding words that sting their opponents,' especially the one's who've reached his age. Just because I understand, doesn't mean I can dismiss it… And just because he doesn't mean it, doesn't mean he didn't succeed."

Shinju continued to watch him silently, waiting patiently for his cousin to work through his upset enough to speak or to indicate they would revisit the subject later.

"It's nothing, Shinju," Kaze forced himself to relax again under the weight of that stare, raking one hand impatiently through his hair. He took a deep, cleansing breath and closed his eyes to re-center himself before he spoke again. "Time with Okaa-sama is the only way that these feelings of insecurity will be put to rest. Otou-sama has said as much to us time and time again."

Shinju's lips curled up slightly, shaking his head at the perfectly logical rationalization he had been silently betting on hearing from the stereotypically indicative man. Keeping his amusement to himself, he suggested calmly, "Perhaps Sesshoumaru-sama is correct. We should speak with her privately about our… difficulties once she returns."

Kaze made a noncommittal sound to that suggestion as he braced his shoulder against the wall and leaned into it more casually and relaxed than he had been a moment ago. He gestured outside with a faint nod to indicate a change of topic before vocalizing the other concern that was disrupting his thoughts. "That one is suspicious."

"As well he should be."

"Mm… He's also intelligent and underhanded enough that he's going to find out everything we're trying to keep from him," Kaze continued in the same bland tone, not really expecting disagreement or reassurance so much as having a second voice verify his own observations.

Shinju chuckled softly from where he'd come to stand beside his cousin, glancing out into the yard to take in the circle of scorched earth Hiei had left behind. Calmly leaning in idle juxtapose with Kaze, he waited for his cousin to take the silent hint and look at him before he challenged with a smile. "Would any of us be able to truly accept him in our family if he couldn't?"

:………:

Kurama let his eyes close, sharpening his other senses as his fingers slid down Kagome's lips and traced a line down her throat before lightly circling her neck. Kagome stood docile under his touch, each breath brushing her chest against his as he simply basked in the faint scent he'd come to crave. He could feel her throat move against his palm when she swallowed, and he sighed softly as he rested his cheek against her temple, "I have no idea why you seem to think your past has any bearing on _our_ relationship, Kagome. I had thought I made it clear to you that I don't care who you were, or what you've done before we began seeing each other exclusively, but somehow we seem to have hit a miscommunication."

"Kurama-" Kagome tried again, only to instinctively fall silent when he let out a low growl.

'_Now it is our turn_,' Youko rippled through their soul, twining their ki together a piece at a time as he exerted his superior control with a purely wicked grin. '_This miko needs to start having more respect for our ability to make such a decision for ourselves_. _This is our time to become more intimate_, _not to have her telling us that the woman we have so carefully handpicked to be the mother of our children is not good enough for our attention_.'

Kagome frowned at the satisfaction she could feel radiating from him when she caught herself leaning ever-so slightly into his touch, the feeling enough to snap her out of her enthrallment. Mentally bracing herself for what she knew was going to be a difficult argument, she lifted her hands to his chest and stood on her toes to mimic the way he'd spoken into her ear. "Kurama, you aren't thinking this through."

_That's the first time anyone's ever made _that _accusation to us_.

'_We'll correct her misassumption tomorrow morning_… _maybe afternoon_.'

_Or_ _evening?_

'_If you insist_.'

"You're just stressed out by everything," she tried to repeat, making a sound of frustration when he refused to budge at her prodding. A shiver ran down her spine when he answered her by nipping her ear, tracing the tip of his tongue over the spot as she stammered out in a breathy voice. "After you've had a chance to relax here and really get your energy back, you'll see. I'll even help you look for someone when we get home."

"Again, very magnanimous of you, but that won't be necessary," Kurama purred out, sliding one hand down to her waist and stepping forward to upset her balance. He was ready when she stumbled, wrapping his arm around her and lifting her completely off her feet only to take another step forward to pin her against the wall. "Previous ties, isn't that what you said, lover? You want me to find a girl who hasn't had a husband before, is that it?"

::_Did__ you think it would hurt less because you trusted him?_::

The sudden wash of memory was enough to have buckled her knees had Kurama not so very effectively made that an obsolete matter. The sound of that voice chased through her mind, pushing out the rational thoughts until she felt the warmth of the kitsune's lips just below her ear. Kagome's hands had instinctively moved to his shoulders, gripping his kimono tightly… although whether to anchor herself to something solid or merely in reflex to the abrupt, blatantly suggestive position he'd put them in, she couldn't be sure. "Kurama, put me down!"

"I don't think so," Kurama slid his other hand up her thigh, smiling when the muscles flexed and shivered under his touch. "I was polite, lover, I listened to you."

"I didn't have you against the wall," Kagome pointed out, forcefully stopping herself from wrapping her legs around his waist when he shifted to a more secure position against her. She pulled her head back away from his to look at his face, and frowned at the innocent smile he was giving her, _Dammit_, _you sneaky bastard_… _But I…__ You can tell that I don't_ _want to say no to you_.

::_I__ can see it in your eyes_,_ my Tama_. _I can feel it_, _feel _you… _right here_.::

"I can feel it inside you, you know," Kurama tightened his arm on her waist, bringing his other hand up to grip her chin and keep her eyes on his face as he unwittingly echoed at least part of that internal whisper. "Your body is hungry for me, Kagome. I can feel it reach for me, cry for me every time we touch."

Kagome tried to suppress the shiver that rolled down her spine, but she knew from his low chuckle that she'd been unsuccessful. Closing her eyes before she could give herself away, she took a deep breath and tried to ignore the feel of his youki twining so sinuously around her. His warmth was seeping into her, filling in the holes left from the exertions of the day and slowly stealing away what she'd managed to regain of her reason, "Put me down, Kurama. Really… I can't- I- you hardly know anything about me."

"Details," he gave her a squeeze as he felt the way her body was slowly softening into his caresses. He dipped his head to press a light kiss just beside her lips as his thumb began a gliding stroke back and forth along her clenched jaw, "Besides… I know more about you than you think I do."

Kagome's hands curled into tighter fists before slowly relaxing under a particularly strong rush of his energy across her senses, _No good! Dammit_, _what if I can't hold it back?_

::_It's__ so much more delicious this way_.::

"You don't want to run away from me or I wouldn't be here alone with you in the first place," Kurama pressed, smiling when he felt her pulse increase. "You know you belong here…with me. Is that why you're afraid?"

_You don't really think she'll answer you that easily_, _do you?_ Kurama closed his eyes and sighed deeply when her fingers curled over his shoulders again before one of her hands slid up into his hair.

'_No_, _but if I can get her to face whatever she thinks is forcing her to make this ridiculous speech about not being good enough to commit to us_, _I__ can stop her from pulling away long enough to fix this_,' Youko retorted calmly, turning their head to lightly brush a kiss over her lips just enough for her to instinctively part them. Denying her silent request, he continued that maddening stroke over her jaw as he tried a different angle of questioning, "You loved your husband very much, didn't you?"

::_Watching__ them betray you_.::

Kurama let out a faint murmur of victory in their mind when her pulse jumped again, muscles stiffening just enough to alert him he was hitting a sensitive point. _Then she _is_ feeling guilty about something_,_ that's why she's trying to push us away again_.

"I don't make my feelings secret," Kagome answered quietly, shifting against him restlessly when her heartbeat staggered with another, deeper pulse. She could almost feel the shuddering uncertainty that had gripped her the last time she heard this voice speaking into her mind, mind racing as she struggled with the memory to find out just _why _she was re-experiencing it so intensely. _Something's wrong_… _I'm missing_- _I_- the thoughts scattered again when Kurama's lips passed over hers again.

'_Perfect_.'

_Careful_-

'_I know, I know_,' Youko brushed off the warning, ruthlessly focusing now that he had a clue to what he needed to effect the battle going on in her mind. Now he knew how to tip the scales in his favor, "Do you think you would be unfair saying yes to me? Do you think you won't be able to love me the same way, Kagome?"

"You're wrong-!" Kagome started to protest that soft whisper, choking off with a sharp gasp when he leaned his weight into her more purposefully. _No_… _That's not_- _That's not it?_ Confusion set in as that truth slowly took shape in the tangled chaos of her emotions, _But__ that can_'_t_… _be?_

::_Watching__ your heart bleed for them_.::

"Am I?" Youko slid his tongue across the side of her neck, tracing the pulse he could feel beating so very rapidly and ending with a light nip at the edge of her jaw just to hear that sound in the back of her throat again. '_That's it_, _little lover_… _show me where you break_.'

"I can't-" Kagome started, cutting herself off again when her mind and mouth still failed to coordinate properly, attempting to shake her head despite his restrictive hold. "You don't… understand." _No_… _that's not it_, _Kurama_.

"Tell me," he cajoled softly, repeating that kiss before lifting enough to briefly catch her earlobe in his teeth. "Is it so difficult a thing? Am I not good enough for you to be willing to try?"

The pulse that rushed through her had her back arching, some part of her vaguely grateful that his attention was not on her face to see the way her eyes so obviously flashed. Naraku's accusation flooded her mind, overlapping the long-buried words from the past as the stark whispers gained strength to match the pounding of her heart. Her hands clenched in his hair, eyes squeezing shut in a futile effort to stave off the burn of tears as he took the pull as a request. Slowly, Kurama eased his body away from hers, just enough that he could look down at her expression as he waited for the answers he wanted to hear.

_No_, Kagome's eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at him in a sort of dazed disbelief.

::_When__ you love them_, _my beautiful Tama_.::

That damning whisper rang through her soul with an odd note of finality, making the blue of Kagome's eyes darken to indigo as her hands slipped out of his hair. Her fingers felt hypersensitive as those impossibly soft strands skimmed over her knuckles, only to have that sensation overwhelmed by the heat and softness of his skin against hers as she lightly grasped the sides of his head. The pulse grew nearly deafening inside her, flooding her system with a rush energy that left her trembling against him. She could feel his eyes on her, feel the anticipation in his body as he waited for her to speak.

_I'm afraid I'll love you more_.

The words caught in her throat, until Kagome heard the shaky response she managed to offer him as though it was being given by a total stranger, "Sesshoumaru is going to call."

Kurama's lips curved as her fingers spread to trace just behind his jaw on either side, _Got her_.

"Let him," Youko silently acknowledging his agreement to that intense declaration as their own eyes flashed with promise. "I'll tell him we're busy."

"Kurama-"

"How do you like to be touched, Kagome?" he cut her off, youki curling darkly in the air around them as his focus shifted.

"What?" Kagome frowning up at him as the abrupt spike in his ki sent a chill rushing down her spine.

Kurama tightened his arm around her waist, pressing into her until she was forced to tilt her head back at a severe angle to hold their gaze. "I am going to make love to you, Kagome. I may not be your first or your only lover, but by the time I'm finished, I _will_ be the one you turn to when your dreams leave you empty and crying inside."

'_She's so close_,' Youko turned their head pressing a kiss to her palm without once releasing her gaze as he blended them together with much more purpose than Kurama had ever felt from him. '_Just a little more_… _She's lost and she knows it_.'

"You remember what it felt like to be touched by a lover," Youko sighed as he took control, tracing a line down her throat with the very tips of their elongating claws. "No one has ever made you feel the way I do, have they? I could taste it inside you."

He leaned forward, rubbing his cheek against hers in a deceptively harmless show of affection, inhaling deeply as he took in the hungry way her aura seemed to reach out to his as though begging to relive their morning. Before she could respond to his words, he was turning his hand to slip beneath the collar of her yukata, "You seem uncommonly fond of inu youkai… have you picked up their preference in positions? Is that how I should take you our first time? I could hold your hips and watch those beautiful, deadly fingers curl in my blankets every time I push into you.

"Or maybe face to face?" Youko gave her no time to guard against him as he continued his verbal illustrations, absolutely preening at every shiver and twitch in her body against his as he traced the line of her clavicle to artfully bare her shoulder. "Would you wrap your legs around my waist, Kagome? Throw your head back when you moan for me? What color would your eyes turn when you felt me give you my baby?"

Kagome's mouth went dry, trying and failing to block out the words tumbling so easily from those sculpted lips before the paltry bit of willpower she had left crumbled. He knew… he was playing his voice along her senses like liquid silk, making every part of her long and remember, meticulously pulling her cravings to the surface. Making her imagination stir up every wicked fantasy she had ever had about him-

"Would you rather be on top?" Youko grew bolder at the way her breathing hitched, the sound of her heartbeat even louder in the otherwise quiet room. "Arching your back, rolling your hips in perfect rhythm with mine… Letting your hair fall across my stomach while I trace your ribs one at a time? Would you tease me until I couldn't help but dominate you? Until I held you still above me while I touched you in places that no other man or youkai could hope to reach?"

_Where are we getting this?_ Kurama's voice was awed, tapering off slightly under a moaned sigh when Youko leaned forward to grind their hips together.

'_How many times have I told you that nothing seduces like a kitsune?_' Youko scolded in a rather distracted manner, much more intent on watching and feeling Kagome react to him than in answering questions he felt Kurama should have known since his youth. '_We are the best at what we do_ _and I have been thinking about having this miko in this position for a very_, very_ long time_.'

Youko eased his hand out of her yukata long enough to find where the crossed fabric below the simple obi, slipping his hand inside it to trail his fingertips up the inside of her leg, "Your body is craving mine now, isn't it?"

Kagome let out a choked gasp, trying to curl in on herself and keep his hand from going further than her thigh, "Don't!"

The chuckle echoed in perfect synch inside and out as Youko and Kurama ignored the hollow command, "Where's the harm in being selfish, little lover? You are thinking too much when you should be feeling, and your body is working against your mind."

"You're a dangerous person, Youko Kurama," Kagome finally managed to speak with a semblance of calm.

"Then what a pair we make," he murmured with a satisfied grin at the charged response, reading more into the tone and what she _didn't_ say. "I find you 'dangerous' as well… Give up the chase, Kagome. Let yourself love me."

"I've made promises," Kagome could feel her body shake with the effort it took not to simply melt into him.

"Make new ones," he purred silkily, making his voice temptation itself as he ruthlessly plucked away at her token resistance. "Make a promise to belong to me instead."

She tried to speak, but closed her mouth quickly when he shifted against her and changed what she'd intended to say into an involuntary, breathless moan. One knee bent, bracing her foot back against the wall as he immediately took advantage of that to readjust her position to fit them together for a more inflammatory press of his body against hers. Kagome bit down hard on her lip against the cry struggling to break free, forcefully composing herself enough to whisper. "I have responsibilities."

"So do I," Kurama stroked his cheek across hers again, sliding his palm from her knee to her thigh in order to push the yukata aside and bare her bent leg from the waist. "But I want to have more, Kagome. I want to come home at night and find you waiting for me. I want to learn every last inch of your body and soul."

He slowly worked his hand up under the obi to spread his fingers across her bare stomach, putting his lips right to her ear as his eyes closed to hide the flash of scarlet. "I want to make my children inside you."

Kagome could have cried.

She could feel the taut muscles in her neck to relax and let her head lower until she was resting her forehead on his shoulder, her hands sliding back up into his hair in a mindless caress. This shouldn't be working on her; the words, the looks, the skillful touches… She had done all this before, heard it all, felt... like this?

With Miroku it had been about a different kind of love. The children he'd given her had been for Sango and his words always grateful and adoring. Not these blatant seductions all for her that came so perfectly and easily from Kurama's lips. He had been gentle, even worshipful each and every time they were together, so careful to place her feelings and needs well above his own. They had loved each other, but never truly been more than deeply friends despite the intimacy of their relationship. Never wanted or intended to be more.

Kurama… made no secret that he wanted so much more.

Kagome could feel his ribs expand against her chest; hear him draw the air into his lungs as he readied himself to speak again.

She felt his jaw go slack and waited for his mouth to open before she pulled him down to cover his lips with her own.

:………:

Hiei frowned as he followed Sesshoumaru deeper into the mountain range the silent youkai had led him into, his gaze sweeping every inch of the passage for some hint as to how and where they were bypassing Reikai's barriers. So far, the passage had been slightly difficult, but there was nothing to suggest an unnatural deterrent, unless it was plainly not effecting him now that he was "acceptable." _Underground again_… _Do they use some sort of spell then? Something about Kagome's powers to amplify some mineral_,_ or perhaps ancient magic held in the mountain itself?_

Sesshoumaru hadn't spoken a word since his arrival beyond instructing him not to fall behind. And despite the seeming urgency to Kaze's instructions, he didn't appear to be in any particular rush. Each step was graceful, unhurried, and perfectly silent as the thick braid hanging down between his shoulder blades swayed from side to side. Had it been any other creature, Hiei might have thought the youkai walking in front of him was unguarded and even relaxed.

_Might_ have.

His hand lifted, pressing just below his throat with a grimace as that branded symbol started to ache, giving a single pulse before returning to dormancy as though warning him against such underestimating thoughts. There was nothing relaxed about the taiyoukai walking in front of him, and frankly, it was nearly impossible to mistake the force of agitated ki making his skin crawl. Whatever reason Sesshoumaru had for calling him out, it wasn't over good news.

"The miko has sources that no other creature can reach," Sesshoumaru's voice broke through Hiei's musings with ease, echoing almost melodically off the dark walls of the cavern despite how softly he'd spoken. "Not even your first-level employers."

"Sources?" Hiei repeated suspiciously. _What sources?_ _Why would he be talking about sources when she isn't even_-

Sesshoumaru turned a glance back to him when Hiei made a nearly silent sound of realization, waiting for those claret eyes to meet his own before subtly chastizing, "You will learn, hybrid, that activities and behavior that may appear to be frivolous always have deeper meaning in our family."

"There was something for her in Shikoku," Hiei verified out loud, eyes narrowing slightly at being kept in the dark.

"It is a difficult situation, and it drains her to speak of it. You would have asked questions without thinking of the consequences," the taiyoukai chuckled sardonically at the emotions he could clearly feel radiating back to him through Kagome gift of connection. "My miko did not need the added strain of reliving the past for your satisfaction. But you may ask her about the bound remnant she visits upon her return, and whether or not she answers will be her prerogative."

Hiei frowned, gritting his teeth against the distasteful feeling of parroting nearly every word out of the youkai's mouth with the increasing impression that there was much more to the secrets of this family than he had first anticipated. But he swallowed his pride enough to press for a more complete answer, "Bound remnant?"

The smirk that chased across Sesshoumaru's lips revealed his full awareness of the discomfort, and that he was not above letting the hybrid stew in the feeling a little more before addressing the cause. "The creature who hunted the jewel and originally cursed the human family linked to my lines. Naraku was finally destroyed by this Sesshoumaru and other respected allies, but his hate and rage were so intense that those emotions were unable to pass into the next world. Those emotions left behind a spirit that was bound by the houshi and his wife to its grave, and transported to the most holy grounds available to us by my half-brother and his companions."

"Back when the legends were written," Hiei's annoyance was gone in an instant under the casual offer of so much missing information. _Fucking finally!_

"That was before the monk took time to document our battles, yes," Sesshoumaru dipped his head in acknowledgement. "We had settled into peaceful times back in our own lands by the time the Shikon-no-Tama and the battles for it became our legend."

"And the second wife had died," Hiei tilted his head to one side, feeling the Jagan narrow under a sudden twinge of suspicion. The way the taiyoukai spoke… he wasn't in the habit of speaking names, but it still felt… rehearsed? It was the same way that Houshi-sama or Sango- hell, even the way that Kagome spoke when he asked about the past. Detailed and honest, but so subtly and skillfully vague that there were times he just barely caught the signs of omission.

"Naraku had run her through with one of his appendages in their final battle, just before she managed to channel herself into purifying his body," the emotion left Sesshoumaru's voice, although whether it was out of respect for the memory or a warning against the topic, Hiei wasn't certain.

But in the next breath, they had turned another corner where the passage opened up in much the same manner as the underground training grounds, and Hiei was startled into perfect stillness.

Ignoring Hiei's shock, Sesshoumaru calmly raised one hand, his youki flaring up to rapidly light the torches around the circular chamber and bringing the structure set into mountain in front of them into stark relief. Turning to stand in profile to Hiei, Sesshoumaru brought his hand to rest on Tenseiga's hilt as he waited patiently for the hybrid to process what he was seeing.

"What _is _this?" Hiei breathed out, taking an unconscious step forward as the Jagan actively reached out in a more obvious display of their curiosity.

"Gozu and Mezu."

Hiei's head snapped around, eyes widening in alarm at the blasé answer, _The Guardians of Hell_'_s Gates?_

Sesshoumaru's laughter still soft, but more obvious this time as he walked calmly towards the massive oval gateway. "They have stood guard at this gate since the dawn of time, and they will still be here guarding it long after the rest of us are dead and gone. When the Ascended creatures ruling Reikai formed the barriers, the questionable possibility of another entrance to the Underworld –to what has become Makai- existing became obsolete in their plans. It was already all but forgotten to even the oldest youkai when it was first shown to me, and now the passage of time has only made it more so. The most trusted members of _my_ family are the only ones who know of it any longer."

Hiei could feel his skin chill at the massive wave of energy flowing out from the enormous statues with every step the taiyoukai took in their direction, every one of his senses was screaming a warning. His hand automatically curled over to the hilt of his katana as he slid back into a more defensive position and struggled against the instinct to flee from sheer force of power and danger vibrating from the stone figures. _But_... _a soul has to be dead to pass the Gateway_. _In ever legend and rumor_, _Gozu and Mezu destroy any creature foolish enough to try and go beyond them!_

The statue to the left pulsed, one eye slowly opening to focus down on Sesshoumaru as the taiyoukai finally came to a stop before the chained doors. As Hiei stared at the unfolding scene with a sort of morbid fascination, the statue's head turned and both eyes opened to stare more attentively down at Sesshoumaru. The oppressive silence that gripped the chamber seemed to buzz in his ears for a painfully long stretch of time until it was broken by an ominous creaking that drew his gaze up to the source. The statue's fingers had moved, tightening around the staff of its weapon as the pulse of jyaki intensified to almost suffocating levels.

"_Sesshoumaru-heika_."

The grating echo reverberated around the chamber over and over as Hiei's hand went numb, fingers falling away from his sword while he gaped from the taiyoukai to the wakening guardian in blatant disbelief. _Hei__…ka_…?

In response, Sesshoumaru drew Tenseiga in a single fluid motion, letting the weapon feel out their surroundings and give off a warning pulse of recognition. The blade flickered once before giving off a pale white glow to push away the remaining shadows as Sesshoumaru turned Tenseiga to point directly at the gateway and waited for the chain across the doors to melt open. The air around the chain seemed to distort and shiver before the links cracked and fell away with a nearly deafening clatter of metal on metal that had Hiei involuntarily wincing and the statue on the right opening its eyes as it roused as well.

Sesshoumaru didn't so much as bat an eyelash as Gozu and Mezu took a step away from their places flanking the gate, each step sending heavy shudders through the mountain as they approached the stoic lord. When they paused on either side of the taiyoukai, he turned his wrist to bring the Tenseiga into a relaxed, defensive position in front of his chest, "Step aside. This Sesshoumaru is taking the new extension of the Shikon-no-Tama into the Makai."


	50. Footsteps and Fingertips

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Eck. Sorry about the massive holding time. There were a few small complications with one of my procedures, some visits… and a couple of family issues just to make the perfect icing on the cake. On the plus side, Puppy came to visit me and we had much commiseration with Häagen-Dazs and drinks. Which made it that much easier to talk her into drawing me pictures. There was carousing and fun, even if poor Puppy had to sleep in the room with the molesting ghost whenever she was here. I think he has a thing for her.

Ah! And I almost forgot… on Mediaminer, I posted the chapter a little later due to content and added the explanation of the suffix "_heika_" but didn't on FF.N. So

_Heika_ is a referential title suffix that is used for the Emperor or Empress - or King and Queen, for foreign monarchies.

To be honest, I don't post glossaries or anything like that, because of personal preference. On one hand I feel it detracts from the aesthetics of the story to see glossaries at the end of a chapter. And on the other- well, the researcher in me wants to see how many people get curious and figure it out themselves. (Fallon, you're still the only one who knew, I believe) So I apologize for any headache it may cause, and I'll try to remember to post definitions in the author's notes in the chapter following use of any unfamiliar terminology.

At any rate, to those of you who have been so supportive and sweet to me in reviews and emails, thank you. It blew my mind to have such well-wishes coming my way. You're all wonderful and you really do make me wish I had more time to write. All my friends, buddies, reviewers and readers… all I can do really is say thank you very much. Well, that and update. .

By Any Other Name

-Footsteps and Fingertips-

:"_I don't understand_. _What's happening to me?_"

"_I don't know_," _Miroku whispered quietly_. _Pulling Kagome into his lap, he wrapped his arms around her. Carefully making sure the blanket against her back never moved. Miroku spread his fingers to cover more space_, _applying pressure until it felt like his own hands would go numb_._ He kissed her temple with a hint of desperation_. "_We were trying_. _We thought we were going to lose you_."

_Kagome clung to him, struggling to stop the violent shaking in her body_. _Confused and sinking into panic_, _she repeated_,"_What's happening to me? I was- I couldn_'_t_-"

"_Shh_, _it's all right_." _Miroku tucked her closer to him, resting his cheek against her hair in an attempt to comfort her. His hands closed into fists at the warm, sticky feel of her blood coating his fingers. Forcing himself to sound calm and soothing as he put more pressure on the makeshift bandages again. _"_Hold yourself together_, _Kagome_. _You're safe, you don't have to think of it anymore_. _Just stay with us_."

"_That is enough, Houshi_."

_Kagome jolted at the sound of the familiar voice_._ She pulled away from the agitated monk just enough to stare up at the stoic youkai looming over them_. _Her fingers curled in Miroku's kimono in a silent show of pained uncertainty and she whispered_, "_Sesshoumaru_."

"_You will regain control or it will be done for you_."

_Kagome flinched at the sharp command_. _Anxiety growing_,_ she twisted in an effort to see past his imposing figure and the noxious smoke filling the air_."_It_… _did you have to- to kill-?_"

"_This Sesshoumaru did what was necessary_, miko.":

:………:

Hiei admitted readily to himself that there was no arrogance in claiming he had seen more in the course of his lifetime than most youkai more than three times his age. The conditions surrounding his birth mixed with the lifestyle he'd chosen for himself had brought him countless experiences very few youkai could claim. At the same time, however, he was fully aware that he still couldn't hold a candle to the taiyoukai's knowledge. Nor could his experiences possibly measure up to the events of Kurama's own considerable lifespan. But circumstances being as they were, Hiei was not often taken visibly by surprise.

In his defense, Hiei doubted even Kurama would have been able to blithely take in the sight of the two massive guardians of Hell's Gates _kneeling_ to Sesshoumaru.

The Tenseiga gave off a heavy pulse at their proximity. Sending out a wash of ki that instantly gained Hiei's complete focus. His eyes narrowed, looking from the blade to the guardians until he could convince the Jagan there was no immediate danger in skimming the edges of their massive auras. _They_'_re afraid of that energy_,_ that sword_._ And Sesshoumaru knows it_.

"Come."

The calm order immediately captured Hiei's attention, drawing him up out of his awed thoughts. Sesshoumaru paused only long enough to be certain the hybrid was watching him before walking between the guardians towards the gateway. "If you fall behind, this Sesshoumaru will not be held responsible for your death."

Hiei frowned slightly, blurring forward to fall in step with Sesshoumaru rather than take that insinuated risk. However… His gaze strayed anxiously up to the guardians staring down at them impassively as they passed. The sheer amount of jyaki radiating off them set his nerves almost painfully on edge, curling his fingers over the hilt of his katana convulsively.

"Gozu and Mezu will not harm you while you are in the presence of this Sesshoumaru, hybrid," Sesshoumaru murmured with quiet superiority. Tendrils of pale ki separated from the gateway the closer they came, reaching out to stroke through Tenseiga's aura searchingly. His lips curled slightly in a pleased smile as the dangerous vibration of that energy smoothed to fully open the path. "We have mastered this mode of travel since the first time it was revealed. It is only when this Sesshoumaru is not present that one need fear the souls and gods pouring themselves into this magic."

"Then it is the sword," Hiei observed.

"The sword in the hands of its master," Sesshoumaru corrected, eyes briefly closing as he stepped into the thick barrier. "The Gateway has come to recognize this Sesshoumaru's authority over it. And Tenseiga will never be held in any hands but my own."

Hiei faltered the instant he stepped into the barrier. Alarmed at the almost viscous feel closing in around him the closer he came. But when the taiyoukai walked into the mist unfazed, he shook the hesitation and forced himself to follow. As soon as his feet crossed the doorway, the Tenseiga pulsed and let out a wave of youki. The protective vibration winding itself steadily over Sesshoumaru expanded back to surround Hiei as well. Warmth seemed to flow over Hiei's skin, chasing away the unrest that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

Amazed, Hiei took a step closer to Sesshoumaru. Even half-expecting the increase in that feeling, it was still enough to draw a heavy sigh out of him. Secure for now, the Jagan's own aura intensified in the hazy limbo. Its curiosity mingled with his own, slowly overtaking the very last of his concern to feel everything around them.

_None of the portals we or even Reikai can make are anything like this_. Hiei reached out, brows furrowing as the thick mists twined around his fingers. _It_'_s alive?_

"Do not fall behind, hybrid," Sesshoumaru repeated the warning. "As intriguing as the souls that are trapped in this place are, they are lonely. Until they become accustomed to your passage beside this Sesshoumaru, they will attempt to devour your body and hold you here with them."

"Why only me?" Hiei curled his hand into a fist and watched the tendrils reluctantly dissipate back into the pale mist.

"They know their own limitations," Sesshoumaru answered simply. "However, the impression I have received from those foolish enough to try this path on their own is that the experience is unpleasant."

Hiei was about to ask who had tried when a distinctly sardonic snort echoed through the air around them. Scowling darkly, his hand returned to his sword. All his senses focused outward in an effort to locate the source of that disturbance through the overwhelming ki of the Gateway.

"Just as full of shit as ever."

_I recognize that voice_. Hiei relaxed minutely. Glancing up at Sesshoumaru to gauge his reaction to the taunt, and take his cue as to whether or not they were about to have a fight on their hands. _Does the Gate empty into the Western Lands in Makai? They'd have to hide it somewhere_ _to prevent someone from finding it by accident_, _wouldn't they?_

Sesshoumaru's lips thinned in displeasure, but his stride never changed. Carrying them farther through the thick mist until it finally began to lose its substance. Little by little Hiei could make out the landscape ahead of them. His eyes slipped closed when that warmth permeating his body gave another heavy pulse. Tenseiga's distinctive ki collided with the souls around them, hissing softly as it burned the most tenacious of those grasping tendrils away.

Hiei opened his eyes at the echo of screams in his mind. Reflexively, he turned to find the source of those sounds as they stepped out of the barrier completely. Staring behind them, he could see the mist start to take shape. Souls roiling and tangled, they pulsed and reached out towards the boundary of their confines. Hate and loneliness poured out so heavily Hiei took a step back. His attention drawn up when the mist parted and gave him a view of the distant Gateway swinging closed.

He felt the Jagan narrow. Transfixed by the increasing shrieks of denial and misery teasing the edges of his senses the closer the Gates came to being shut. Meticulously processing the way the ancient doors seemed to fully absorb the fog of imprisoned souls into itself. Drawing them inexorably in on themselves to wait for the next time the door would open and set them free for just that moment…

"So you got a reason to be here, Sesshoumaru, or did you just miss my pretty face?" That same voice cut through Hiei's enthrallment, jarring his focus. Shaking his head slightly to clear it, Hiei gave the closed Gate on last curious look. Turning back only to find himself staring directly at Sesshoumaru's back.

Sesshoumaru sighed and sheathed Tenseiga with effortless grace. "Is it too much to ask that you show respect to your elders?"

"With you? Hell yes," the other youkai drawled out easily. "The day I show you respect in private is the day I die a cold and miserable death in the lowest circles of the Hells."

"This Sesshoumaru can easily arrange for that scenario." Sesshoumaru folded his arms over his chest and glanced back over his shoulder.

Hiei could practically taste the curiosity that suddenly tainted the air. Even before the owner of that rough voice spoke up again. "Oi… you bring someone with you? Shippou said you sent that fucking wolf south to keep an eye on Kagome."

Sesshoumaru ignored the accusation in his tone. Instead, he stepped causally to one side to allow Hiei and the youkai he'd been addressing to get a clear look at each other. Hiei blinked, eyes widening in faint surprise that was mirrored on the other youkai's face for entirely different reasons. Hiei didn't notice. His head tilted slightly to one side; fully absorbed in observing the similarities of this new youkai to the silent Sesshoumaru.

This youkai had the same silver hair, but his looked thicker. Rough and definitely more wild that Sesshoumaru. His eyes were larger, more open and definitely younger but the same intense gold. Only a single, jagged stripe followed his cheekbones. And this youkai was shorter than Sesshoumaru by a full head. For all their similarities, this youkai didn't seem nearly as elegant. Like the taiyoukai's attributes had been rearranged and formed a smaller, coarse version. To say nothing of the vibrations coming off their ki. Side by side, it was like trying to compare Yuusuke to Youko.

"Hybrid." Sesshoumaru waited for Hiei's attention to shift to him before he continued. "This is the final living carrier of the Shikon-no-Tama that you have not met."

"I was the _first _carrier, you pompous-!"

"I was not finished." Sesshoumaru shot him a dark scowl to silence him. "He is also, unfortunately, the reason I have control of my miko. The younger brother of this Sesshoumaru."

The youkai stuffed his hands up into the voluminous sleeves of his grey haori. He dipped his head once in acknowledgement to Sesshoumaru's introduction. Smirking arrogantly before he completed it. "Inuyasha."

:………:

Kurama drowsily stroked his fingertips back and forth along the curve of Kagome's hip. Holding his head propped up on his other hand, he stared down at her and simply basked in the feel of her body pressed against his. Letting out a lazy sigh, he slid back down to rest his chin on her shoulder. Looping his arm around her waist to realign their hips and prevent any loss of contact.

'_You know_, _I can _feel _that sloppy grin_,' Youko chuckled richly at his behavior. But Kurama paid no mind to the light-hearted teasing. The kitsune stretched himself sinuously through their soul before taking care to blend them again. Turning their face to rub their cheek over her hair before drawling out, '_Admit it_, _Kurama_. _We needed that_.'

_You're right_. _I feel_… _really good_. He pressed a lingering kiss to her nape, smiling against her skin when she reflexively shifted into their touch.

'_You feel better than "good_," _you cocky little jackass_.' Youko snorted, splaying his fingers as he elongated their nails to his claws with careful precision. Tracing the tips in absent caresses across her stomach as he scolded, '_She could have gone again_. _Why did we let her fall asleep?_'

Kurama could help but laugh softly at the blatant impatience. _Youko_, _it's the first day of our vacation_. _Let Kagome sleep now_. _We'll have sex with her again when she wakes up on her own_.

Youko sulked briefly, but let the matter slide the longer they stared possessively down at her face. '_I told you she would be absolutely delicious_.'

_I never argued with that_, Kurama reminded him. _Still_…_ I'm amazed you didn't force the pregnancy the first time_. His gaze turned introspective with his thoughts as their claws went from caressing to a distracted pattern on her pale skin. _I was so sure you would_.

'_Soon_.' Youko shrugged, lightly grasping her hip to keep them together as he bent their knees. He smiled when Kagome sighed in her sleep and tried to burrow down even closer to their warmth. '_But it would have been in poor taste to be so hasty when we want to have an extended relationship_._ We have time enough yet… one of the nights she starts it_. _Then I'll know it's the right one_.'

Kurama inwardly shook his head in amusement at Youko's rather unique ideas of morality. _You'll know that she's ready to have a baby because _she _seduces _you?

'_I've decided_. _I do want a boy first_.' Youko completely ignored Kurama's taunt as his imagination traveled down a path he felt was infinitely more interesting. '_He can look just like me_… _Should he have blue eyes or gold?_'

_What the hell's wrong with green?_ Kurama frowned sharply at the deliberate exclusion. _Dammit_,_ how many times are we going to have to go over this? It's my baby too, Youko._

'_Oh fine_, _fine_,' Youko tsked. '_He can have green eyes_. _But he's getting my face_.'

Our _face_.

Youko was quiet a moment before offering, '_Janken__ Pon?_'

_You cheat_, Kurama denied the challenge flatly.

'_It's not my fault you don't shield your thoughts from me properly_,' Youko retorted primly.

_Ch_. Kurama sighed and inwardly rolled his eyes at the childish antics. Reflexively turning his attention back to Kagome only to tense in alarm and let out a furious snarl, **_YOUKO!_**

The black vine curling around the miko's hip snapped back into their hand with such rapid force it nearly knocked Kurama's arm off her completely. Leaving behind a nearly invisible trail of pink against her skin everywhere it had touched. Youko gave him the distinct impression of sitting calmly. Hands clasped together in his lap as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. '_What?_' he queried, keeping his tone a perfect study in harmless innocence.

_Don't you _dare _try that with me_, _I saw what you were doing!_ Kurama forcefully took control of their body, blunting their nails and putting Youko on a tighter rein. _No!_ _I absolutely forbid you from doing that_. _Do you understand?_

Youko frowned tightly. '_You _forbid _me? It's going to happen sooner or later_, _Kurama_. _You can't stop it_. _Especially not with a few cheap words and angry glares_. _Or are you forgetting who taught you how to be intimidating in the first place?_ _I am far from impressed by your sudden flash of misplaced conscience_.'

_You think she won't notice that? _he gritted out with a jerky motion towards the vines' trail.

'_That's something of the point_, _you know_.'

_Not _yet, _Youko_, Kurama sternly denied. _What in all the levels of Hells has gotten into you? That's not funny!_

'_Who said I was being funny?_' Youko growled out, easily surpassing Kurama's severity. '_I happen to be perfectly serious_.'

Kurama went quiet, staring at Kagome's face in disbelief as Youko's words seemed to echo through his mind. He could feel Youko tug at their hand. Curling his youki through it to take control of the motion as Kurama watched with a strangely detached fascination. Their hand slid up the side of her body, skimming across the skin he was becoming so familiar with until they were trailing their fingers over her cheek.

_Sooner or later_…

'_Why do you want to stop me anyway?_' Youko sighed and continued the caress down her throat and farther. Putting Kurama's arguments out of his mind, he slid their hand back to her stomach with that same unhurried satisfaction. '_You want to keep her too_.'

_Just because she's finally letting us draw her into a serious relationship_, _it doesn't mean we should immediately take it to this level_, Kurama insisted firmly.

'_Neither of us will allow any other man in her life this way_. _Not now that we're here_.' Youko insinuated his youki up under Kurama's chin and over his throat with invisible fingers, squeezing to put emphasis on his words. '_And if you think I will let you and your human ideals threaten what I want to have with her_, _you're mistaken_.'

Kurama's jaw tightened in frustration, and he repeated again, _We__ can't rush this_.

'_If you move too slowly, she'll get away_,' Youko retorted, letting his claws slide down Kurama's throat in a way that made their body shiver. '_She's fighting herself_, _Kurama_. _We have to defeat what's holding her back_, _and if we hesitate, it will only become more difficult_. _There is no enemy more dangerous or formidable than regret allowed to grow inside a woman's heart_. _I will not let you give her time to think of reasons she should reject us_.'

Kagome made a vague sound of discomfort, momentarily putting an end to their discussion. She twisted around, rolling onto her back before turning towards him. Reaching out in her sleep until her hand brushed his waist and gave her a measure of his position. Youko's irritation started to fade under a wash of affectionate amusement at the way she cuddled up to their chest and relaxed back into easy slumber.

Kurama sighed, unable to hold his own agitation. Smiling down at Kagome, he wrapped his arm around her back and shifted her into a better position against them. This time he didn't bother to stop Youko from guiding their hand down her spine. _Maybe you're right_. _But we can't do everything your way_. _We have to know when to back off too_. _This is too important to get overzealous about_, _Youko_.

Youko made a noncommittal sound and suddenly paused. Brows furrowing, he ignored Kurama's concerns and spread his fingers wide across her back. '_Sit up_.'

_What? _Kurama blinked in confusion at the brusque command.

'_Sit the fuck up_.'

There was something in the kitsune's voice that gave him pause, but at the same time, had Kurama obeying without question. Youko was simmering too close to the surface. All hint of relaxation and playfulness gone under intense concentration. He actively mingled their youki as Kurama obediently eased away from Kagome. Reaching out, he brushed a calming hand over her cheek when she made a sleepy grunt of protest. But even Youko patiently waited until she had calmed before they slowly encouraged her to lie on her stomach and exposed her back.

Kurama had barely had time to note the decidedly arcane symbol disrupting the pale skin when his body lurched. His hand came up, pressing over his heart in reflex at the sudden, violent expansion of his youki. He gritted his teeth, slumping forward and struggling to stave off their body's attempt to accommodate it. A shudder rippled down his spine. Claws digging into his chest under a wash of vertigo until he hissed, _Youko!_

'_Breathe_. _You're going to make us pass out_.'

_Not so much! _Kurama seethed when the kitsune resisted his efforts to calm them, silver streaking through his hair. _Fuck_, _Youko_, _get a hold of this youki!_

'_Are you seeing this? Are you even looking at what's in front of us? Or are you too busy trying to practice your goddamn paternal instincts on me?_' Youko challenged darkly. '_Now do as I say and _look. _These are _scars, _Kurama_.'

_I'm a little more concerned stopping you before we _change, Kurama growled back at him furiously. _Are you forgetting what Sesshoumaru said to us? We have to use MY body_, _Youko_, _not yours!_

'_These are old scars_.' Youko brushed off the reminder. Forcefully, he took control of their hand again and very precisely traced the largest circle of the elaborate image on her back. '_Sharp lines_… _There's no way in any layer of the hells that these were accidental_._ Someone took a lot of time to cut this into her when she was practically a child_.'

Kurama's back arched, swallowing a deep growl when he felt his bones shift. A tingle spread down his spine. Muscles and tendons tried to stretch and reshape under the force of youki flowing just below their skin. _Youko_… _Calm _down! _Kagome is fine_. _She_'_s very much alive and sleeping right here in our bed!_ He forced them to pull back before they accidentally brushed too much of the volatile energy across Kagome's aura. Not wanting her to wake while he was struggling with the angry kitsune. _Fucking gods_, _just_ _relax!_ _Do you want to wake her up just because you_'_re having a temper tantrum over something that obviously happened a long time ago?_

Youko said nothing. But the jyaki straining their system and making their body hover between forms grudgingly backed down.

Kurama held himself carefully still as his body recovered. Anxiously, he waited to see if Youko was just playing tricks to get his way. But after several minutes of silence, Kurama allowed his guard to relax little by little. After he was certain it really was a sign of peace, Kurama didn't stop Youko from reaching out to Kagome again.

The kitsune exhaled heavily in a show of both displeasure and exertion against Kurama's control as he trailed his fingers along the patterns. But his indignation rapidly gave way to curiosity when he calmed himself and started to really look at the lines. Their brow furrowed, and they leaned forward. More purposefully following the ancient design and murmuring now and then over a vaguely familiar symbol or mark. Until Youko let out a victorious laugh and pressed the tip of one finger over the smallest inner circle. '_Clever_… _Oh yes, they think they're very clever_.'

Kurama blinked at the dry tone, confused at Youko's reaction. _Who thinks they_'_re clever?_

'_That family_,' Youko clarified, much more focused on studying the symbol in it entirety. '_The pattern is different from anything I've ever seen_. _But these are spells_. _There was powerful magic underneath all this_. _Making spells and seals_. _And some of it is_…_ writing?_'

_Writing?_ Kurama tilted his head. _What do you mean?_ _What kind of writing?_

Youko absently mixed them together, moving their arm as one. He slowly caressed each individual character, as though reading the lines from a book or scroll. '_There was _"_a great force balanced and locked away for all eternity within itself?_"'

_It says that? Just like that? Hell_, _did they write part of the legend on her back?_ Kurama frowned at vague wording. His own attention snared, he leaned forward and listened to Youko grumble through reading the rest of the odd marks. _Is that_ _still Japanese?_

'_Some of it is at least_,' Youko murmured. Shaking his head, he abandoned the writing in favor of tracing the lines of scars scattered through it. '_Most of it is pieces of forgotten languages_. _Inhuman things that were already dying when I was born_,' his voice trailed off.

_How did they get on a miko from this era?_ Kurama frowned.

'_That _is _the real question_, _isn't it?_' Youko rested his palm over the heart of the design, taking comfort in the steady beat he could sense through that contact. '_Even then_, _it's the feel of this that bothers me_. _Almost like thousands of spirits were leading the hand that drew it into place_. _But that doesn't make any sense_. _Possessions on such a massive scale destroy the host body_. _They never work in conjunction peacefully enough to engrave such detailed work in anything_. _The marks they leave to show their passing are always rough_… _violent_.'

_What about this?_ Kurama slid their hand down off the tiny scars to touch the oddly symmetrical lines along her ribs. _They aren't clean lines like the others_.

'_They were made later_.' Youko's frown deepened, tilting their head and intently studying the oddly symmetrical scars before passing his judgment. '_Those look like they came from claws_. _But there's only one vibration_… _one youkai_.'

Kurama paused at the strange note in Youko's voice. Tilting his head, he backed off that topic until he was sure the kitsune was in a less volatile mood. Pushing that aside for now, he splayed his fingers to match the scars. Calculating how and why those wounds could have been made. _She had to have been facing the_ _demon_. _Unless it had wrapped around her somehow?_

'_The angle isn't right for that_.' Youko muttered to himself and shifted closer to align both hands until he had a feel for the most likely cause of injury. '_She was pulled_… _away from the source?_ _The youkai that made those was trying to pull her towards it_. _The lines start deep and end shallow_… _These were made fast_.'

_What about this here? It_'_s only on the left side_. Kurama curiously reached under Kagome to feel the size of irregular scar.

'_Lean over_, _there isn't much we can tell without seeing it_.' Youko shook his head in exasperation and gave him a push. '_It wasn't as precise and the skin is soft_, _so it's old as well_. _There's a faint depression_. _It_-' he trailed off as soon as they had maneuvered enough to get a clear look.

_It_- Kurama urged, frowning as he traced the outline. _It almost looks like a shark bite_, _but it's too small_.

'_It's still a bite_.' Youko took a deep, calming breath against the urge to let out a string of expletives. '_A youkai with a faintly humanoid mouth_. _That's why the size is what it is_. _But it had hold of her long enough to tear out a chunk_.'

_Do you think youkai were fighting over her?_ Kurama stroked a gentle hand down her spine. As though he could soothe away the pain she had suffered before. And coincidentally, attempting to calm their own agitation at the clear signs of injury.

'_It's the most likely reason_.' Youko nodded, leaning them down and pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the center of the intricate design. '_What were they thinking? How could Sesshoumaru let her get this close to being killed? If a youkai had hold of her like that_-'

_You said the scars were old_, Kurama reminded him before Youko could work himself back into his original temper. _And she said a hanyou saved her life when she was young_. _This may have been how they found her in the first place_.

The kitsune closed their eyes. Resting their forehead between her shoulder blades to soak in the feel of her vitality and settle his senses. He turned over the logics of that possibility until the rest of the tension began to ease out of their body. Kurama breathed a sigh of relief as Youko's agitation finally faded enough that it lost its dangerous edge.

'_Sesshoumaru still owes us answers for this_.' Youko lowered them back down to lie at Kagome's side. Reaching out and gathering her into their arms. He turned her back onto her side and tucked her possessively against their chest. '_If this is how they found her_, _I want to know_. _I want to know what did this to her and he'd better not try to hide this under our agreement about that stupid fucking rock_.'

Kurama's eyes closed at the feel of their youki twining around her body. He couldn't resist taking a brief moment to openly indulge in their mutual pleasure. Using a portion of Youko's signature ki to restore them to a less volatile state, he propped his chin up on one hand. Kurama smoothed her hair away from her face before lowering that hand to rest absently on her stomach yet again. _We could ask Kagome_. _She had to know we would see all this when we started having sex_. _So it stands to reason that she probably intended to tell us about what attacked her anyway_.

Youko made a vague, indecipherable sound and returned their attention to her hair to slide their fingers through it. Opening their eyes, he let their gaze roam over her body at leisure. Lingering at the crescent Sesshoumaru had obviously branded onto her shoulder. He exhaled heavily in frustration and slid their arm around her waist to drag her forward until her head was tucked snugly under their chin. '_As interesting as all this is_, _it still doesn't fit with anything else we know_.'

_We're still missing too many pieces to the puzzle_. Kurama didn't bother pretending he'd misunderstood Youko's complaint. _All of the important ones that probably tie all our loose ends together_.

'_Houshi-sama__ is an incredible artist after all_.' Youko snorted and shook his head. His tone was more respectful than Kurama could ever recall when he chuckled and continued. '_The only flaws to his little mystery are in the living_. _Human error_. _And they are all performing their assigned parts remarkably well_.'

_You sound entirely too happy about that_. Kurama could feel his lips twitch in amusement.

Youko rolled his eyes, turning his nose up loftily and chiding, '_Ch_. _This is going to become _my _family_. _This bloodline is the one I picked to mingle with my own to make my children_. _You're damn right I'm happy about the talents they display_.'

Kurama did chuckle out loud this time at the smug pride in the kitsune's answer. Dipping his head, he pressed a gentle kiss below Kagome's ear. Youko immediately redirected his thoughts and started to whisper his suggestions. Prodding at him that it would do wonders to their mood to reaffirm her health and vitality more directly. Not to mention, it was well past time to urge her awake again.

'_Slowly though_.' Youko instructed sternly when Kurama didn't seem to be voicing any disagreements. '_I want lazy sex_.'

_Lazy sex?_ Kurama repeated in disbelief.

'_Honestly_, _you act like such a human sometimes_. _I swear you do it just to piss me off_.' Youko muttered in annoyance over what he viewed as being deliberately obtuse. '_Lazy sex_, _Kurama_. _The slow way?__ Like you're almost half-asleep? The kind of sex where you aren't in any hurry?'_

Kurama blinked, struggling not to burst out laughing at the description and unintentionally jar Kagome awake. _And you call that _"_lazy_ _sex_."

'_What's wrong with that?_'

_Most humans refer to that as "romantic_," _Youko_, _not lazy_.

'Most _humans are idiots and incapable of appreciating the intricate beauty of seduction_. _And don't even start on the travesty they try to call foreplay_,' Youko retorted with a soft growl of distaste. '_They're practically hopeless in bed_._ Much like your only saving grace is myself_.'

_If you pass _that _attitude along to our son_, _I _will _figure out a way to beat the shit out of you_. Kurama warned him.

'_Psh_.' Youko gave him the clear impression of flicking a rather arrogant, dismissive gesture. '_As if you could ever find_-'

The faint trill of phone cut off what Kurama suspected would have been one of Youko's prime insults. Dispersing the tension between the two instantly in exchange for their mutual displeasure aimed down at the offending noise. Kurama barely registered the growl echoing so clearly through him from Youko as they reluctantly rolled away from Kagome. Reaching down, he held out his hand expectantly and nodded when the cell phone was obediently delivered by a slender vine.

Kurama quickly opened the phone before it could ring again. Sitting up carefully and bringing his other hand to rest on Kagome's shoulder in an instinctive effort to keep her comfortable enough to stay asleep.

"Speak quietly," he murmured into the phone. Turning his head just enough to more effectively shield Kagome from the sound. "If you wake my lover, I'll kill you in ways you can't possibly imagine."

There was a beat of silence before the caller recovered. "_Well you certainly didn't waste any fucking time_,_ did you?"_

Kurama made a face, feeling a dull ache start right at the base of his skull. "Takashima."

"_If you're having sex with my sister, be respectful_," Shippou hissed at him. "_And don't play stupid with me_. _You know exactly what I'm talking about_."

"My mistake, Shippou-chan."

_Youko_, _enough_.

'_He's interrupting_,' Youko returned stubbornly. '_I'm not going to cater to his pissy mood any more than he intends to cater to me_. _Relax_, _Kurama_. _Shippou and I understand each other much more than you do_.'

"_How long has she been sleeping?_"

Kurama sighed and settled in for the tried and true method of speaking while ignoring the snide commentary Youko had taken up in the back of their mind. "Almost three hours now. And before you ask, yes, we had dinner first. I made sure it was fresh enough to be good for her personally."

"_I'm amazed you found the time_," Shippou drawled in open mockery. "_Did you manage to wait a whole hour before dragging her off to the bedroom?_"

"Let's say you might want to tell the maid to be thorough in the kitchen," Youko answered with a smirk that was all wicked retaliation. "We cleaned up as best we could, but it was difficult not to be distracted in the process."

_You can be such an ass_.

'_You're irritated enough not to be making any effort to stop me_,' Youko pointed out nonchalantly.

Shippou let out a growl of censure. "_Don't be crass_, _that's family you're talking about_."

"Well, at least you're right about that, little kit," Kurama let Youko color their tone to inject a deeper innuendo. Shifting back until his back was flush against the wall, he tilted his head. Holding the phone with his shoulder and gently moving Kagome with him until her head was pillowed on his thigh.

Kurama could hear Shippou stand through the phone. The scrape of a chair against the floor sounded almost painfully loud in the taut silence. Footsteps made a low, steady rhythm until something clicked. And the sound changed to the familiar rustle of grass and the evening breeze.

Youko chuckled inside their head. '_It's about time he started taking us seriously_.'

"Still with me? _Red?_" Kurama emphasized the nickname Shippou had used for him time and again.

"_Kiss my ass, I'm going somewhere more private_," Shippou growled into the phone. "_Then you're going to repeat what you said_."

"Be thorough in the kitchen?" he purposefully misinterpreted the command.

"_I can have Kouga there in twenty minutes_. _Tops_," Shippou warned, the creak of branches drifting through the phone. "_You want me to keep this between kitsune_, _you'll stop being a smartass and talk to me without the bullshit_."

'_Ooh, we definitely pissed him off this time_.' Youko dipped their head despite knowing the younger kitsune couldn't see the gesture. '_How utterly delightful_.'

"Don't tell me you believed that nonsense Kouga was spouting off about me losing interest in my precious lover so quickly." Kurama rested his hand on Kagome's head. Smiling down at her when her arm slid across his waist and she cuddled closer. "You were obviously listening the first time I tried to introduce myself. What did you think my intentions were?"

He could have sworn he heard Shippou grinding his teeth. "_If this is your idea of a joke to piss me off_, _I'm going to rip out your soul and lock it in a holy place to make sure you never get out to bother us again_."

"You would really want Kagome's children to grow up without their father?" Kurama fingers slowed as they traced up the slope of her shoulder. "It would be so tragic to see kitsune kits raised by an inu, even if he is a taiyoukai. Who knows how suppressed and confused their natural instincts would be?"

"_If Kagome is pregnant­_, _you-!_"

"Please," Kurama cut him off with a low growl. "You think you have any say in what she and I decide to do on our vacation?"

"_What the _fuck _are you playing at_, _Kurama?_" Shippou's voice was nearly lost under his deep-throated growl.

"Don't make light of my emotions unless you're prepared to take responsibility for the consequences, Shippou," Youko leaned more of himself into them and smiled. "You're still too young to know when the game has gone over your head."

"_Your emotions?_" Shippou's suspicion was obvious.

"I'm not going to repeat myself unnecessarily. It's your fault if you don't listen when I speak." Kurama's eyes closed briefly when Kagome rubbed her cheek on his hip. "I told you, Kagome is sleeping. And if you force me to speak so loudly that she wakes up, I won't be pleased. And I promise it will come out of your ass the next time I see you."

"_You fucking__ split-souled bastard excuse for an avatar! There's no way you're as serious about being there with her as you're suggesting!_" Shippou snapped at him with a little more force than he'd originally intended. Biting back several crass remarks and taking a deep breath to calm himself before speaking again. "_What possible emotional attachment could you possibly think you have with my sister in such a short period of time?_"

"From a human, that's impolite but somewhat expected." Kurama slid his hand down to rest on her back again, idly stroking back and forth. "Coming from another kitsune, it's downright fucking offensive."

"_You're too old to come to this kind of decision suddenly_," Shippou accused.

"I never said I made it suddenly." Kurama stretched his legs and sighed. His eyes flashed and the vine resting on the nightstand roused. Shaking itself before obediently reaching across the bed to straighten the blankets. Passing them up high enough for Kurama to take and tuck around Kagome when it had arranged them to their satisfaction. A warm smile softened his expression, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I have been looking for Kagome for quite some time."

Shippou was silent again, and Kurama simply waited for the younger kitsune to gather his thoughts. _We really should have had this discussion with him face to face_.

'_True_, _however_, he_ called us and _he _started it_.' Youko shrugged aside the disappointment in Kurama's voice. '_I would have preferred having it somewhere he could vent without running the possibility of bothering Kagome_.'

_Meaning you would have preferred we do this in the open so he can try to attack us?_ Kurama drawled out.

'_We are going to end up on the nasty side of a tantrum from him soon enough in this matter_.' Youko watched calmly as his rose spread its vines under Kagome's hair. Lightly tugging the trapped locks out from under her and carefully spreading it across the pillows. '_He's used to being the most important kitsune in her life_. _It's not a position any self-respecting kit would give up without a fight_.'

_Even though he's just claiming to be her brother?_ Kurama frowned slightly.

'_Use the head I gave you for something other than looking pretty_," Youko scolded him sternly. '_We've seen how he hovers over her_, _and how direct he was in making sure we knew _he _was our opponent_.'

_It's almost like some sort of separation anxiety_, he talked out, not wasting the time it would take to respond to the insult. _I'd guess her first husband had kept them apart_, _but Shippou already said he was close to Miroku_.

'_Kurabara__ did say she was out of the country_.' Youko turned over everything they knew. '_If Sesshoumaru forced him to stay here when he thought she needed him_, _it could have given him a bit of a complex_.'

"_Why Kagome?_" Shippou finally spoke again. "_How did you find her?_"

Kurama arched an eyebrow in subconscious arrogance. Unaware of the way all his motions had become so much more elegant in response to the undertone of that demand. "Actually, Shippou-chan, you led me right to her."

"_What?_"

"My friends and I were interrupted one day by an investigator on skates running away from a youkai salaryman." He cupped the rose in his palm briefly to infuse it with more youki. "Imagine my surprise when he fled past a temple with a beautiful woman watching him from the doorway. She had the most incredible hands."

"_When-?_" Shippou hissed.

Kurama cut him off, "Of course, I almost hesitated too much. I thought the trail had gone too cold to find her. Until my friend Yuusuke happened to run into someone who dropped a few interesting pictures."

"You_ have my pictures_-"

"Ah, then it _was _you. I thought it may have been after I found out you were a kitsune," Kurama pointedly lowered his voice when he thought Shippou was getting too loud. "They're very lovely. Do you have any more?"

"_Not that you'll see anytime soon_." Shippou quickly dropped his volume, but it was easy to hear the thick displeasure in his tone at doing so.

"That's a pity." Kurama sighed with perfectly feigned sadness. "Those are my favorites in my collection at the moment."

"_Do you have any idea how much I fucking hate you right now?_" Shippou ground out.

"I can take a guess."

"_You still haven't told me why_." Shippou took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an effort to regain some measure of control. "_Wanting her is one thing_. _You're talking about something else entirely_."

"Do you find it so hard to believe that I decided I wanted more from her than something casual?" Kurama brushed the back of his knuckles across her cheek. "You obviously saw something special in her too."

"_She's my family_."

"I know that." Kurama was mildly surprised at the way Youko helped softened their answer. Making a note to ask about it later, he expounded, "But I want to make her part of mine too."

"_I should come down there and kick your ass_, _you know that_," Shippou spat out a humorless laugh. "_What are you telling her?_"

"The truth." Kurama's brows drew together in annoyance at the suggestion of anything else. "Be careful, Shippou. There's only so far I'll let you push out of respect for your relationship with Kagome. If you continue to insult me, don't think I won't handle it more directly."

"_Suck it up_, lover, _I'm still within my rights_."

"Hopefully you've grown out of this by the time your first nephew is born." Kurama clucked his tongue in disapproval. "I'd hate to think of what bad traits you'd try to teach him just to make your sister angry with me."

He could hear the phone creak in protest at just how tightly Shippou was clenching it. "_Stop joking around about something so important_."

Kurama's eyes flared scarlet before he could contain himself. He bit down hard on his lip at the urge to let out a full-blown snarl that would most certainly wake his sleeping miko. Several deep breaths later, he had his darker instincts under control. Forcing his voice to stay soft and even despite speaking through clenched teeth, "_Why _is it so difficult for your entire family to take my intentions toward Kagome seriously?"

"_Do I really need to answer that?_"

"Listen to me very carefully, because this is the last time I'm going to say this to you without getting very, _very _angry." Kurama could feel his claws elongate. "This is not just a kitsune _fling_, a curiosity, or a fetish of mine. I have told Kagome that I want a more serious relationship. With or without your agreement, she and I are going to be married in front of our families. We are going to have as many children as we decide we want. And I am going to become more precious to her than any of you selfish little bastards can imagine."

"_Kagome is never going to love you so much that she would pick you over us_."

"Do you think I'm so stupid that I would ask her to do that?" Kurama leaned his head back against the wall, calming his growing temper when the rose eased out of Kagome's hair and reached for him with an inquiring hum. "Or even expect it?"

"_That all depends on you_, _doesn't it?_"

Youko frowned in bemusement, absently reaching out to stroke Kagome's shoulder again. '_His perception of our character is coming from nothing but his own frustration and upset emotions_.'

_Of course it is_. Kurama shrugged.

'_No_, _no_… _He's not even trying to be analytical_.' Youko gave him a hard prod for missing the point. '_Pay attention_._ Now_, _I would expect this from a child thinking he's going to get pushed aside for a new kit_. _Not a brother_. _Why is he refusing our connection to Kagome so violently?_'

_You're the one always telling me I'm not paying close enough attention to kitsune behavior_, _Youko_, _you tell me_. Kurama wearily raked a hand through his hair. _This is starting to grate on my nerves_. _Brother or not_.

"Anyone with half an iota of intelligence can see that asking Kagome to stop loving someone from her chosen family would be like asking her to cut off a part of her body," Kurama made sure the full weight of his disapproval for Shippou's attitude was behind his words. "I'm not asking her to forget her husband or anyone else she loves."

'_We just intend to become the one she loves most in the future_.'

"_I'll kill you before I let you hurt her_."

Kurama tucked one knee up to his chest, moving with care and keeping an eye on Kagome to be certain it wasn't disturbing her. "It's late. I'll tell Kagome you've called to check on her, but I'm not going to wake her up just to listen to you bicker about something that you have no control over. She's in excellent hands."

Shippou let out a snort of disgust at the blatant redirection. "_You aren't good enough for Kagome_."

"We'll speak more when my lover and I return from our vacation, Shippou." Kurama didn't acknowledge the threat beyond that. Pulling the phone away from his ear and turning it off completely before Shippou could respond.

Part of him wanted to fling the irritating thing out the window. But the rational side to his thoughts argued that it would likely bring Kouga right back from wherever the wolf had gone on the excuse of finding out why. Regretfully, he leaned over and set the phone on the nightstand very precisely.

"He means well."

'_Dammit_.'

Kurama echoed the curse. Sitting up and tilting his head to look down at Kagome. But a faint smile still crossed his face when he saw her just barely peeking up at him with one eye. "I was trying not to wake you."

Kagome shrugged, yawning and tightening her arm around his hips in a brief embrace. "It was a nice try. But you were throwing off some heavy vibes there. And Shippou was practically glowing through the phone."

"He's less that happy with me," Kurama offered apologetically.

'_Not like it isn't mutual_,' Youko drawled out.

"Shippou's father was murdered when he was still too young to be left alone." Kagome offered the explanation for his behavior. Closing her eyes, she rolled onto her back and tucked one arm up under her head. The rose let out a squeak and stretched to rub under her chin, chittering happily when she gave in and pet it.

Kurama winced slightly in disappointment. _Well that answers that_.

'_Ask her more about him_,' Youko impatiently ordered, trying to downplay his own reaction to that bit of clarification. '_How did they meet? Why did Shippou attach himself to a stranger like her after that kind of trauma in his youth?_'

"How did you meet him?" Kurama braced his elbow on the bed and turned towards her.

Kagome cracked one eye open and smiled at the show of interest. "Shippou? He tried to steal a necklace from me when I was fifteen. He thought it would make him strong enough to kill the youkai that were desecrating his father's pelt."

Youko's brows shot up. '_Desecrating_… _Fuck_. _No wonder he was trying to steal a miko charm right off her neck_.'

"A dear friend and I helped him to kill the youkai and put his father's soul to rest." She looked down at her hand, curling her fingers as she relived that memory. "You know, that was the first time I ever felt foxfire."

Kurama reached out and covered her hand with his. "Did he attack you?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Kagome denied quickly, lacing her fingers with his. "His father used the last of himself to shield us from an attack. That's how I felt it. Shippou's been with me ever since."

Youko made a sound of understanding. '_Dammit__ all_, _that's why he's so neurotic_. _It's personal_. _Shippou's father entrusted him into her care_.'

_So when he says she's his family_-

'_He means it literally_.' Youko let their eyes flash brighter gold. '_Whether he told her or not_,_ that's why he says she was his before she was Sesshoumaru's_.'

Their thoughts were interrupted when Kagome reached out and cupped his cheek. Blinking and focusing on her face again when she leaned up and kissed him to soften any lingering ill will. "So cut him some slack if he seems a bit clingy, hm?"

Kurama leaned forward to keep their mouths touching when she would have pulled away. Letting Youko direct their answer, "Shippou and I understand each other, lover, you don't need to worry about our interactions. If I didn't like him, I wouldn't put so much energy into annoying him."

"I feel so much better," Kagome's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"I do try." Kurama smiled and kissed her forehead. Waiting for her to lean into him before he slid his hand up to the center of her back. "But then… there are a number of things I'd rather be asking you about than your brother."

Kagome felt the pulse run through her body. Whispers chasing through her mind as the souls deep inside roused at the strength in his prodding fingers. She reigned in her aura quickly, burying the dissatisfaction before Kurama could pick up on it. _Easy_… _easy_, _you knew he would see_. _He's too curious and too perverted not to_. _Sesshoumaru discussed this with us_, _remember?_

"Imagine my surprise." He dipped his head to whisper his inquiry into her ear with every ounce of charm at his disposal, "Who attacked you and put these marks onto you, little lover?"

"It probably looks worse than it was," Kagome assured him, cursing the way his voice slid over her senses. She tilted her head down, sliding one hand up into his hair to subtly off-balance his own reception of her answers. "There was an accident back when I had just gotten out of high school. I was standing in just the wrong spot and caught the worst of it. There was a lot of glass… in my back."

Youko clucked his tongue even as he leaned them into her touch.

_What_'_s wrong?_

Youko frowned at the question. He splayed their fingers wide between her shoulder blades to cover a number of the tiny scars and repeated, '_Glass_.'

_You don_'_t believe her?_ Kurama brushed his fingertips curiously over the raised lines.

'_Maybe_…' Youko shook his head. '_It might be nothing_. _But it just doesn't feel like the full truth_. _Not to mention the spells and the inscription_. _Ask her whose idea it was to cover her scars like that_.'

"The symbol on your back wasn't made by glass, Kagome." Kurama lifted his head enough to see her face. "Neither were these." He moved his hand down to the claw-marks, fighting the instinct to pull his hand away when she flinched. "Or this. Something attacked you. Probably even could have killed you."

"Not that time." Kagome bit her own tongue when she saw the dark look flicker through his eyes the flippant remark. "That's not what I meant to say."

"I don't doubt that."

_Youko_-

'_Quiet_.'

"There was a youkai that wouldn't let go of me," Kagome expounded on her poorly worded comment with a grimace for her own mistake. "Sesshoumaru pulled me out of the way and this happened. I'm human, Kurama. Sometimes youkai forget that our skin isn't as strong and we won't heal as quickly if you try the fast way to get out of a bad situation. But there wasn't any other way he could have handled it." _And sometimes you have to take an injury if you don't want to end up dead_. _Or worse_.

Kurama sighed at the troubled look that entered her eyes. Rolling them over until Kagome was lying under him. He waited for her to look and meet his eye before he scolded lightly, "Don't think I'm going to expect you were never hurt fighting youkai. Or that I don't think you are capable of doing so," he stopped her quickly when she seemed ready to argue. "I just want to know how they happened."

Kagome blinked and tilted her head slightly. "Are you fishing for bedtime stories, Kurama? Because if you are, you owe me for the ones you've already talked out of me."

"You would have something of an advantage asking me about that sort of thing, all things considered." Kurama flashed her a grin and slowly rested more of his weight on her. Bracing his upper body on his forearms to still be able to look down at her with ease, he shook his head. "But no, I'm not fishing for stories. I just want to know why the youkai who claim to protect you let you be injured seriously."

"Sometimes fighting means getting hurt." Kagome sighed and slid her hands up over his ribs. Stroking the well-defined muscle along his sides and across his back as she muttered, "Stop trying to make me feel guilty when I know you understand that perfectly well."

Youko chuckled at the not-so-subtle hint and gave in for now when her hands brushed down the curve of their backside. '_Well_, _if she would rather play_, _I suppose we can put this discussion off for a later time_.'

_You're completely shameless_, _you know that right? _Kurama closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her fingers forming caresses with more direct intent.

'_Would you rather talk when she's indicating she has much more important things on her mind as well?_' Youko challenged, shoving at him impatiently until Kurama gave in and brushed their cheek across hers the way he wanted. '_Weren't you the one telling me it_'_s the first day of our vacation? That we shouldn_'_t be so worried about rushing things? We have time enough to unravel this puzzle with all the care it deserves_.'

_This coming from the same creature who forgot why we were letting Kagome sleep?_Kurama pointedly reminded him.

'_That's entirely different_._ Carelessness with a puzzle of Houshi-sama's expert composition means lost pieces_, _and everything in this matter is necessary_.' Youko turned up his nose. '_It's that human impatience getting us into trouble_.'

_And what do you call your impatience?_ Kurama inwardly shook his head at Youko's defensiveness.

'_Unnecessary deprivation_.'

_You and I are going to have a serious discussion about the way you bend the truth to suit you once she's sleeping again_. Kurama made that exasperated promise as he shifted his weight to one side enough to balance and bring his hand to her chin.

'_A youkai has to have his priorities_.'

Knowing full well there was no way to get Youko out of the mood rapidly overtaking him, Kurama decided it wasn't worth the effort to try. Besides, for once they were in complete agreement over their priorities. And they lent their influence equally into the teasing murmur, "No? Not even a little? You're so cute when you're feeling guilty."

Kagome retaliated with a quick swat across his backside.

"Ow!" _Did she just_- Kurama trailed off, staring down at her in surprise before it melted into Youko's wicked smile.

'_Don_'_t stare at her like an idiot_, _get her back for that!_'

"You were asking for that." Kagome gave him a particularly superior look.

Kurama arched an eyebrow, easing the separation and letting Youko blend more thoroughly through him. A quick, speaking glance at the rose had it unenthusiastically moving back out of Kagome's hair. Spreading across the wall to feed off the rise in youki as its master turned a decidedly predatory smile on his little miko's face. "Was I?"

"Most definitely." Kagome had to fight to keep her expression mild when everything in her wanted to laugh at how easily he had let the matter drop. Especially when it was regarding something that had to be so incredibly interesting to a kitsune his age. She took her lower lip lightly in her teeth in an unsuccessful attempt to hold in her widening smile. Threading her fingers through his hair, she tugged his head down until his forehead touched hers.

"Well, you don't think we'll lie here and take that kind of malicious abuse, do you?" Kurama clucked his tongue in disapproval. Sliding one arm underneath her and insinuating one of his knees between hers to knudge them apart.

"Technically, you aren't the one who's lying here-" Kagome started, giggling into his mouth when Kurama cut her off with a deep kiss.


	51. Accidentally On Purpose

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Rather than go into long, arduous detail, I'll just say that there were a few complications in my treatment that caused some problems. I'm sorry to have been away for so long, but… -shrugs- I didn't have a whole lot of say in how things have gone. For now, I'm feeling a bit better, so I thought I'd get this out there for all of you who've been so encouraging and wonderful. I even was sent fanart, and that was a real kick! Thank you to everyone who's sent me such sweet emails and reviews. Also, to those of you who seem to be looking out for me and letting me know if anyone starts taking parts of my story without crediting, again thank you so much. It really makes me feel like I have people who are watching out for me. All you guys have just been wonderful.

By Any Other Name

-:Accidentally On Purpose:-

-

"Don't let these assholes fill your head with stories about Kagome." Inuyasha folded his arms up into his sleeves and scowled at Sesshoumaru's back as they walked through the silent caverns. Quickly losing interest in the sight of his brother walking nonchalantly ahead of them, he turned his attention down to Hiei. "If you have questions, come to me first. _They_ all like to forget that none of them would have ever even met her if not for me. I'm the one that found her and saved her from the fucking centipede-bitch."

Hiei's brows drew together at the new piece of information. "Centipede?"

"Kagome was running away from her when she ran into me." Inuyasha shrugged one shoulder and shook his head. "She dragged Kagome into the woods to eat her and thought nothing would come to stop her from doing that."

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the flat command in Sesshoumaru's voice. "I got it, all right? I'm not as stupid as you like to think I am."

"You have yet to prove that to this Sesshoumaru's satisfaction." Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder at them for a moment before turning his attention back to the path.

"Pompous, self-righteous sonofabitch," Inuyasha muttered under his breath. Shaking his head to clear his own annoyance, he continued, "Like I was saying before his royal-highness had to make sure we haven't forgotten his supreme presence, _I _met her before anyone else in the family. _I_ saved her life, and we… she and I became friends. The others came into the picture later. A _lot_ later for _some _of us."

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to turn around, merely reached back and gripped Inuyasha by the throat. Lifting his brother off his feet, the taiyoukai pulled him forward without once breaking stride. "Inuyasha, you are being entirely too disrespectful."

"You could have mentioned she was home and _safe!_" Inuyasha snarled at him furiously, not even batting an eye at the potentially dangerous position he was in. "Would it have killed you to send me a message, you jackass? Hell, a phone call! Two fucking seconds. I had to find out from the lands drawing on that hybrid's soul when they called him here!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and he set Inuyasha back on his feet with bone-jarring force. "Now is neither the time, nor the place for this discussion. You and I will speak alone this evening."

"Lucky me," Inuyasha snorted, reaching up to rub his throat absently. "Fucking prick."

"Then it _was_ an attack that alerted you to her existence," Hiei interjected before the brothers could start arguing again. More interested in finding out more about how they'd discovered the miko in this era than in the vague accusations and deferments. Whether or not Sesshoumaru had been punctual in informing his brother of Kagome's return from wherever they had sent her and his reasons could come later.

"Which attack?" Inuyasha grumbled and let his hand drop to his side as he fell in step beside Hiei again.

"That's how you discovered her in this time," Hiei clarified when he was certain he had Inuyasha's complete attention. "You found her because she was attacked."

"Yeah," Inuyasha verified and nodded. "That dirty, weakling bitch was trying to tear Kagome's stomach open, and I-" Inuyasha paused, a pained look chasing across his face before he managed to subdue it under a humorless smirk. "I thought she was someone else. Someone I had known a long time ago."

"Houshi-sama's second wife," Hiei finished, making sure this youkai knew he wasn't so stupid that he hadn't figured out just who Kagome had been in her past life. His eyes narrowed, suspicious at the strangely _off _note to Inuyasha's depiction. Not a lie, but still… for all the details, it wasn't exactly the truth either. _Here too_. _They all speak this way when they're discussing her_, _or their pasts_. _They're all synchronized in their deception_.

This time the smile that crossed Inuyasha's lips was genuine. So full of affection and nostalgia that it sent an unfamiliar twang through Hiei's heart. That smile felt… private. Almost as though he was intruding on a moment never intended for his eyes.

Sesshoumaru pointedly cleared his throat and Inuyasha roused from his memories enough to actually verify Kagome's former position in their group. "Bouzu was so damned proud of himself. He hovered over 'his girls' so much that even youkai were surprised by it. Damned if they didn't love him even more for being such a paranoid fucking lecher."

"Has he always been… odd?" Hiei struggled to find an appropriate word that would ask the right question without being too disrespectful in light of Yuusuke's experience. He had no desire to find out if the strange god's influence extended into the Makai as well.

Inuyasha arched and eyebrow and started to chuckle at his attempt to make the description respectful. "I suppose that's one way to put it. So you met him already, have you?"

"He is a confusing individual."

"That's part of his _charm_," Inuyasha emphasized and made a rude gesture up at the sky as though the deity would somehow see it. "He was like that when he was alive too. Got worse after he died and some genius up there decided he should be turned into a god. At least they were smart enough to keep those two together or fuck knows what damage he would have done. Sango always did keep him in line."

"You knew them? How close were you with Sango-sama and Houshi-sama during their human lives?" Hiei tried to keep the worst of his curiosity from his voice, but the smirk on the youkai's lips showed it hadn't been entirely successful.

"They were my friends, closest thing I ever had to a real family back then. In the end, they were the only humans I would trust with my life," Inuyasha answered, resisting the urge to taunt the uncomfortable hybrid. Maybe later, after he'd had time to adjust to everything he'd been hit with since his unexpected initiation into the family. Instead, he decided to expound on his answer. Unaware of the way his voice softened with blatant affection, "I spent my life protecting their families until the fucking barriers made us go underground and I agreed to supervise here. I was there to see every single one of their children born. Bouzu… he made beautiful kids."

Hiei glanced up at the youkai when he lapsed into silence. One brow arched in open curiosity at the melancholy look that crossed Inuyasha's face before he regained control of his emotions. "Were they killed?"

Inuyasha's brows lifted, a bit startled at the assumption. "Hell no! Bouzu and Sango both passed on peacefully, and so did their kids. We've had a few in the bloodlines lost to more violent ends… but not so many. Our family has been lucky that way."

"Our family has taken precautions and maintained the same traditions from ancient times," Sesshoumaru corrected sternly. "Luck has nothing to do with our survival. We have lived and thrived by adapting to this way of life humans created for themselves without growing lax in our own ways or forgetting that we are more. Only weak blooded creatures allow their power to die simply because they feel there is no need to cultivate the abilities of their ancestors."

There was silence for a moment until Inuyasha slanted a look at Hiei and explained his brother's impromptu lecture. "Sesshoumaru is disgusted by anyone who has the potential to be great and is simply too lazy or stupid to develop their soul."

Hiei looked between the brothers, not even entirely sure what the sound that came out of his own throat was supposed to mean.

"Splitting this plane of existence into three realms only further encouraged the degeneration of the old lines," Sesshoumaru added with a heavy tone of disapproval. "Life may be more 'peaceful' for these humans, but most of them are so ill prepared for dangerous situations, they may as well be infants."

Inuyasha snickered slightly at the way Hiei's eyes narrowed. "We don't have any plans to try changing things on any sort of grand scale. But we're not going to lie either and say that we don't miss the old days now and then."

"Particularly when there is a kitsune presenting."

"Miroku would be rolling in his grave if we didn't let her have some harmless fun, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha scolded with a quiet chuckle. His chin kicked up, silently taunting his brother when the taiyoukai frowned back at him for making light of Kurama's position. "If _I_ can accept that, you shouldn't have any difficulties."

_Miroku_. Hiei gritted his teeth at the easy way that name was spoken even here in Makai. He had to have been another human in this family for them to have been so readily accepting.

"This kitsune is the most inconvenient 'harmless fun' the miko could have possibly selected," Sesshoumaru countered his brother's dig. "Perhaps I'll make a rule to prevent this from occurring again once she moves past this… relationship."

"If you try that, Shippou will introduce her to every kitsune he knows just to piss you off," Inuyasha pointed out. "It'd be easier to just bring someone around that you can stand for longer than an hour." He tilted his head, the corner of his lips curving up in a smirk. "That is… _if _any youkai exists that you consider acceptable."

"Why not a human?" Hiei asked curiously.

"This Sesshoumaru's miko is no more human than we are." Sesshoumaru rejected that disdainfully. "The only humans with the strength or even the awareness to come close to providing acceptable defense are too closely related by blood. No, there will be no more humans granted access to her graces in that way."

Inuyasha frowned sharply at the cold finality in his brother's voice. He shared a glance with Hiei, silently demanding to know if he knew the reason behind it. At the negative shake of the hybrid's head, Inuyasha redirected to Sesshoumaru. "What happened?"

"A foolish matter that will be resolved shortly." Sesshoumaru made a dismissive gesture with one hand, turning the last corner that would take them out of the labyrinth of caves. "Your human companion tells me there has been a pretentious individual making personal inquiries at our offices."

"What friend?" Inuyasha's frown nearly turned into a full on scowl. "I haven't been up on that layer in-"

"You are not the only one in attendance, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru interrupted his brother's tirade with a sardonic smirk.

"Kurabara," Hiei supplied, unable to prevent his own quiet chuckle at the mix of annoyance and embarrassment on Inuyasha's face.

Sesshoumaru dipped his head to affirm the source of his report.

"Who is that?" Inuyasha growled in open suspicion. "You hired a human? Why didn't you run this past me first?"

"Kurabara is a harmless human," Hiei grudgingly offered when Sesshoumaru remained silent despite Inuyasha's continued questions. "He was recruited by Reikai as a boy. Hardly a great mind, but he can be trusted to be loyal, and to fight beyond his limits to protect anyone he's responsible for."

Inuyasha's jaw tightened at the reassurance, shooting another glare at Sesshoumaru. "You're certain of that?"

"I do not give humans praise if I can avoid it." Hiei's lip curled up in extreme distaste.

One brow arched high, until Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and searched the hybrid's face for a long moment. Finally, he muttered a curse under his breath and returned to his habitual glaring at the back of Sesshoumaru's head. "You broke something in her head, asshole. That's the only explanation for it."

"This Sesshoumaru is responsible merely for refining the tastes the miko already harbored." Sesshoumaru slanted a smug look over his shoulder before lifting his face to the open air of Makai. "If anything, it was your influence that encouraged her to accept substandard companions."

Hiei was only half listening to the traded insults the longer they dragged on and gained volume on Inuyasha's part. Content enough instead with looking around intently when they followed the taiyoukai out of the cave mouth. Still, he blinked in surprise at their emergence into dense foliage practically on top of the narrow entrance. Shaking his head, he followed the brothers and cast a brief glance back to take in all the ways the cave was being concealed.

He could feel the Jagan stir once he expanded his search, spreading its senses to pinpoint their location. _Definitely somewhere well inside the Western Lands_. Consciously extending his senses out in a wider radius, Hiei's brows rose sharply at the strength of the demonic auras spread out through the thick forest. Auras that felt inexplicably… familiar?

"All those 'substandard companions' are working for you now, so there had to have been _something _about them you considered worthwhile," Inuyasha countered.

"Once they received proper training from a true lord." Sesshoumaru turned right sharply to bring them away from the mountain as the rock face shuddered and seamlessly closed the cave behind them. "Even _you_ have turned out to be relatively useful to me. After extensive work to correct everything you taught yourself in growing up as embarrassingly feral as you did."

"It was good enough to take your arm," Inuyasha lifted one clenched fist at his brother's back. "And more! If you hadn't had Tenseiga-!"

"I never once said you were lacking the potential to be a powerful opponent," Sesshoumaru drawled sardonically. "You simply lacked the adequate control to be considered a worthwhile one until the miko forced you to face your weaknesses and move beyond them."

"Who is in the woods?" Hiei interrupted when he felt Inuyasha's ki rising in aggressive offense at Sesshoumaru's words.

Distracted by the question, Inuyasha frowned down at Hiei then out in the surrounding forest. He snorted with faintly amused resignation and shook his head. "The kids are curious. Don't mind them." That said, Inuyasha turned a speculative glare out to something Hiei couldn't pinpoint and raised his voice, "They know better than to slack off from their assignments just to sneak a peek at the new carrier."

It was almost laughable how quickly several of the auras dispersed with the indirect censure, most probably back to the posts they'd wandered in from. Or at least, it would have been laughable had it not only served to deepen Hiei's curiosity and confusion. "Is it-?"

"The fucking jewel is old, and there's only six-"

"Five," Sesshoumaru corrected in sharp disapproval. "Her husband is dead."

Inuyasha flinched slightly and cursed under his breath, "I knew that before you, jackass. I was-"

"Inuyasha."

"_Five_ of us," he corrected himself with a hiss at Sesshoumaru for the insulting insinuation that he didn't know what to say and what not to say. Determined to ignore the taiyoukai, he pointedly turned his attention down to Hiei before Sesshoumaru could slip in one of his more cutting insults. "Not many youkai are capable of surviving taking her in like that and you're the first one to be accepted from outside the family. They're curious."

_At least I'm not the only one_. Hiei's lips compressed as he bit back the urge to speak that out loud.

"If you are to be trusted with the safety of my miko-"

"Kagome," Inuyasha corrected with a frown.

"_My miko_," Sesshoumaru repeated and brushed a length of his hair back over his shoulder with a superior tilt of his chin. "You-"

"Dammit, Sesshoumaru, you can't say that just because she's in you more than us," Inuyasha growled at him, clenching his hands into fists. "Just because she isn't here to get angry that you aren't using her name, isn't an excuse for you to pull this supreme lord bullshit."

"There are things that you will be required to learn," Sesshoumaru continued, turning his focus on Hiei and ignoring Inuyasha's ranting completely. "Mistakes were made in our history, and this Sesshoumaru will not permit such things to reoccur through either ignorance or inattention. Becoming a part of our family means you will accept all responsibilities necessary to protect our way of life."

Hiei's senses sparked again at the way the lecture was worded. He was back to this, the vague hints of something deeper, missing pieces of the puzzle that were stopping him from figuring out the whole damn thing. Ignoring his natural urge to balk at the imperious command in favor of getting more of the answers he craved, Hiei urged him on. "What mistakes?"

Sesshoumaru paused, waiting for Hiei and Inuyasha to come to a stop as well before turning an expectant, piercing stare down on his uncharacteristically silent younger brother. Hiei frowned, taking a deep breath to keep himself from grinding his teeth the longer he looked back and forth between them.

Neither of the brothers said a word, or made a single sound. However, Inuyasha's shoulders seemed to hunch ever so slightly the longer Sesshoumaru stared at him. Unmoving and unfazed, Sesshoumaru didn't even blink until finally, the younger youkai looked away.

For several minutes, Hiei thought neither of them were going to answer his question. The tension between the two had become nearly tangible, youki rising chokingly thick and clashing in a silent battle. Inuyasha bristled visibly in his agitation, hands clenching to fists at his sides before he stuffed them into the deep sleeves of his haori to hide the sign of stress. Sesshoumaru maintained his stoic silence, but even Hiei could feel the weight of his disapproving stare.

"Mine."

The single growled word snapped Hiei out of his observations, and his attention swung around to find Inuyasha staring down his brother challengingly. Loathing his growing confusion, Hiei's frown deepened and he tried to keep the emotion out of his voice, "What?"

Inuyasha set his jaw hard enough that the muscles in his neck twitched in protest, but he refused to look away from Sesshoumaru's eyes. Determined to prevent his older brother from twisting this into a reason to keep him away any longer, he lifted his chin proudly. Despite his best efforts to stop it, his lip started to twitch up in a sneer of derision all directed at himself.

"I'm the one who almost killed her."

:-:-:

_This is heaven_.

'_Hush_. _You're spoiling the mood_.'

Kurama ignored Youko with ease, sighing long and slow in deep appreciation for the pleasure of what was rapidly turning into an ideal afternoon. He turned his head slightly, guiding Kagome's fingers as they stroked through his hair over and over. Half wishing he could just sink into her lap and stay there like this forever.

Kagome chuckled softly at the relaxed contentment radiating off the kitsune. She lightly brushed her fingers over his forehead and across his cheekbones, tracing the finely sculpted features lingeringly. It was almost impossible not to at least slightly marvel at him. At the proof of how genuinely he took such delight in having his head in her lap and his hair more or less petted. Not that she was planning to complain when it allowed her to indulge one of her own favorite pastimes as well.

Kurama peeked one eye open to look up at her, drinking in the way her eyes had gone so soft and warm as she watched him. Her hands moved with fluid grace, almost as though she was playing an instrument rather than simply threading her fingers through his hair. From his position, he had a fully unobstructed view of her face. Unaware of the way his own eyes lightened steadily to gold the longer he watched Kagome.

She was perfectly at peace here, like this. Sitting back against the trunk of a tree and hidden from the eyes of all the other tourists and visitors by the roses he'd 'encouraged' to grow together over their chosen spot. Every so often, she'd close her eyes and lean her head back against the tree. Just soaking in the way he had so expertly manipulated nature around them back into a pristine state.

'_She's even more beautiful when she's relaxing for us_,' Youko observed with satisfaction and sent out a light brush of youki to make sure the grass was acting as a proper cushion. Languidly, he stretched their body and used that motion to bring their head higher into her lap. Smiling up at her, he lifted one hand to trace a fingertip down the center of her throat. '_You can tell now_. _The way she's letting her guard down for us so much more easily_. _She_'_s starting to admit to herself how good we are for her_, _that we'd never let anything hurt her_.'

Kurama wanted to laugh at the smug pride in Youko's voice, but managed to refrain. They'd already had enough of an argument this morning after Kurama had been more or less bounced awake by an overly-enthusiastic Youko. The kitsune was practically bursting at his boundaries, wanting to be certain that today they took Kagome to the rose gardens. Plotting and scheming so rapidly that it nearly gave Kurama a headache just to listen to all the ways Youko wanted to impress their new lover.

It had just been too much.

Unbidden, the mental image had crept into his head of a pint-sized version of Youko running circles around Kagome. Enthusiastically demanding her attention and willing to do anything it took to earn a word of praise or one of her adoring smiles turned down on him. He'd made the mistake of openly sharing the thought, as well as offering a flippant remark that Kagome didn't need a baby when she had Youko around to fill the part.

Youko's response had been to just as flippantly declare he decided the baby wouldn't have any of Kurama's features after all.

There was no telling where the internal battle would have gone from there had Kagome not picked that moment to press a bowl of rice into his hands and kiss him lightly on the mouth. Both sides were quite effectively jolted to silence, much more interested in enjoying the warmth of emotion in the kiss. By the time Kagome sat back and served their tea, the anger had completely melted out of them both.

Youko had been more than willing to blow off their argument, predictably chalking it up as Kurama's fault. Before that could turn into something on its own, he'd eagerly prodded at Kurama to finish breakfast quickly, and even told Kagome to leave the dishes for the evening. Kurama had been torn between the same exasperation and amusement when the kitsune had hauled her out the door to the trains.

They'd both known Kagome was laughing at them. But at the same time, she'd held tightly to his hand and let him lead her at his pace. Every time he turned to look at her, she was smiling up at him. _Really _smiling…

'_I told you she needed us_,' Youko interrupted his recollection as he continued his caressing stroke down between her breasts. '_No one else can give her this_. _No one can bring her the satisfaction she'll find as our lover_.'

_You have been all sorts of full of yourself this morning_, Kurama teased, smiling warmly up at Kagome when she covered his hand to stop him from going lower. "No one can see us, honey."

Kagome laughed at the pouting defense and squeezed his hand. "Aren't you a little old to be necking in a public garden?"  
'_Oh we're going to get her for that one_,' Youko arched up and wrapped their other hand around the back of her neck.

_She's teasing_-

'_I'm fully aware of that_.' Youko rolled his eyes, but kept their outward expression a soft, seductive smile as he pulled her down. "The day I find myself too _old _to play with you -wherever we happen to be- is the day I lose all respect for myself as a kitsune. And most especially when we find ourselves in a garden, public or otherwise."

Kagome's lips quirked up against his, keeping her head just high enough to deny him the kiss he wanted. "Or a kitchen?"

"You provoked me."

"_I _provoked you?" Kagome gave his hair a yank, arching one eyebrow at the charge. "Who was the one who decided we needed to have sex against the wall?"

"I would have been fine with a bed, but you had to go and say you wouldn't have a relationship with me," Youko pointed out, schooling their expression to look wounded at the memory. "You left your handsome lover no choice but to take drastic measures to change your mind."

Kagome struggled with her desire to respond for a moment until she was certain she could make her voice sound as unaffected as she wanted. "Is that what you call that?"

Youko tugged their other hand out of Kagome's and slipped it into her hair to keep her from moving any farther away from them. "It was enough to convince you to become my future wife, so obviously it was the right course of action."

The smile faded from Kagome's face at the serious note that had entered Kurama's voice. Her eyes fluttered closed, lips parting when the tip of his tongue traced across her bottom lip. "For two weeks."

"For now," Kurama blended together with Youko, their words heavy with promise.

'_Forever_,' Youko whispered his declaration in their mind, nudging Kurama to brush just the faintest hint of a kiss across her mouth. '_I could keep her here like this forever_.'

Kagome sighed against his lips as she lifted her head, unable to prevent a slight giggle at the smirk on his face. "Oh you think you're real smooth, don't you?"

"Think nothing." Kurama winked at her, his smile widening when the giggle turned into a full laugh. He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, stroking his thumb across her cheekbone. His eyes devoured the warmth in her eyes. _It isn't possible that she's not noticing the way we make her feel_.

'_She notices_,' Youko assured him.

Kagome reluctantly tugged against his hands to sit back up. At his frown, she poked his forehead. "_You_ were at a comfortable angle. Much more of that and my spine might have permanently locked that way."  
"I could have lifted myself higher for you," Kurama scolded, demonstrating his point by rising up and twisting until they sat face to face. Before she could answer, he reached out and hooked his hands under her arms. Lifting Kagome up, Kurama shifted his position to put his own back against the tree while settling her in his lap. Sighing in contentment, he wrapped his arms around her and tucked her up against his chest. "There. Now we're both comfortable."

There was something in the smugness of his voice, like a subtle demand for praise at his display of cleverness and strength. With the way his chin tilted up ever so slightly, and his eyes gleamed, Kagome had to bite back a laugh. To see such a boyish expression on that beautiful face sent warmth straight to the heart of her soul.

The smile slowly faded from Kagome's face as her eyes traced over his features. Barely aware of her own actions, one hand lifted and lightly cupped his cheek. Tracing the pads of her fingertips across Kurama's cheekbone, she watched the rich green of his eyes fade to intense gold. His gaze dropped to her lips, and the moment his arms tightened, Kagome stopped him with a soft-spoken request.

"Tell me about you."

Kurama stopped and blinked, staring down at Kagome in confusion. "What?"

'_Brilliant return_, _genius_.'

_Knock it off_, _Youko_, _I wasn't the only one thinking of something else_.

'_I was thinking that we're in a nice secluded area, and it wouldn't be all that hard to slide those pants_-'

_Stop it_. Kurama bit down hard on the side of his tongue to keep his renewed exasperation with the kitsune from showing on his face. Fighting to ignore Youko treating him to one of his finer insults, Kurama reached up and slid his fingers through Kagome's hair. When she closed her eyes and relaxed to let him cradle her head in his hand, all the annoyed tension melted out of his muscles in a rush that nearly left him light-headed.

Youko chuckled, stroking their thumb across her cheekbone and taking advantage of Kurama's distraction to take over speaking. "What do you want to know about me, Kagome?"

"More," Kagome answered, smiling again, but without opening her eyes just yet.

"More?" Dipping their head, Youko purposefully lowered the timbre of their voice and purred out, "Ah, but how _much_ more do you want? Say the word, Kagome, and I'll give you everything. Anything you want of me is yours."

There was too much promise in that declaration, and Kagome inwardly steeled herself against the dangerous seduction he couldn't know it offered her. She turned and ducked her head to rest her forehead against the side of his neck, sliding her arms loosely around his waist. _Something easy_… _Ask something harmless_.

"Why this?" Kagome murmured.

His brows rose at the question, and he absently brought up one hand to draw lazy strokes up and down her back. "This-?" he trailed the question off, waiting for her to clarify.

Relaxing against him and just savoring the caress, Kagome couldn't resist letting her own hand wander back to his chest. Resting her palm over the center of his chest to feel the way his ki curled through his body, she obliged the unspoken request. "Why did you pick this illusion out of everything you could have been?"

Youko's lips quirked up. "Why human?"

"That too." She spread her fingers, feeling safe to let her eyes adjust enough to actually see that vivid energy so close to her skin while he couldn't see her. Distractedly, she studied the unique pattern, attempting to commit as much to memory as she could without actually taking it in more directly.

'_I suppose that's easy enough_.' Youko made a vague, indecipherable sound in the back of his throat.

_It_'_s perfectly natural for her to be curious about it_, Kurama scolded, unable to completely keep the irritation out of his "voice."

'_I never said it wasn't_.' Youko turned up his nose at the mere suggestion he would think such a thing. '_I just expected her to start off with something else_. _You know she still doesn't understand why we want her_.'

_She will_.

"I was killed," Youko admitted bluntly, smiling to himself at the way her arm tightened around his waist in a subconsciously protective gesture. Cuddling her closer and brushing a kiss over her forehead, he continued cheekily, "But I wasn't ready to stay dead. So I sacrificed a considerable chunk of my power to become a spirit."

Kagome's hand traced down to the base of his spine. "Your poor tails."

'_Have I mentioned how incomparably wonderful it is that our lover understands so much about us already?_' Youko basked in her touch, savoring the mix of soothing and arousing tingles it spread through their body. '_We_'_ll have to thank Shippou for it after we kick his ass_.'

Kurama grunted a vague acceptance or denial to that, he wasn't sure. He had to make a conscious effort to keep himself focused on their conversation as it was. Wanting nothing more than to wrap himself around Kagome and see where else her hands might go, he frowned inwardly at Youko's soft chuckle.

Youko clucked his tongue in a teasing scold. '_I warned you to have more sex when our body was younger_, _but noooo_. Someone _insisted that he didn't need to "indulge" as often as his incontinent_, _debauched_-'

_Shut up and get back to your damn story or I'm taking over_, Kurama growled out, fighting the rise of color in his cheeks at Youko's very obvious amusement over his distraction.

Twisting their lips into a much wider smile, Youko brought their head down until were resting their cheek on her head. "There are a number of demons able to still sense and destroy souls, so I used all the confusion to escape somewhere safe. Somewhere they wouldn't think I would go."

"The human plane," Kagome finished with a faint snort. _Shippou was right_. _He's a survivalist_.

"I might not have hated humans as much as others, but I still wasn't known for being overly friendly with any of them," Youko admitted with a grin before silently adding, '_Outside the bedroom_.'

_Amoral bastard_. Kurama rolled his eyes at the smugness in Youko's tone.

'_I happen to have a very strong sense of morals_,' Youko turned up his nose. 'My _morals_.'

_You're forbidden from teaching your _"_morals_" _to our son_, Kurama informed him sternly.

'_HA! I_'_d like to see you_-'

"What happened when you crossed?" Kagome's voice brought them back to the present.

"I searched." Setting aside the parenting argument with Kurama for another time, Youko trailed his hand higher to slide a fingertip up the back of her neck. Strong fingers manipulated the muscle there until she had all but melted in his arms. "I'm very picky, you know."

They could feel her lips curving against their neck. "Of course you are."

Youko's brows shot up in startled pride when Kurama took control of their hand to give her a light, chiding pinch. "You wouldn't be patronizing the man you adore, now would you, Kagome?"

Kagome's grin turned into poorly-muffled giggling, and she leaned back to look up at him with the utmost innocence. "I would never."

Kurama dipped his head to brush his lips across hers, pausing to murmur against her mouth, "I think you might be trying to lie to me, lover."

"Miko are too holy to lie," she managed with a straight face.

"Mmm, just like they're too pure for demons?" Kurama slipped his hands down to her legs, lifting her just enough to make it easy for her to turn and straddle him. Satisfied with the more intimate position, he splayed his fingers across the small of her back and pulled her flush against his chest. "Don't you know I'm too old to fall for faerie stories?"

"I'll have to settle for listening to the rest of yours then." Kagome leaned back as far as his hands allowed and flashed him a brighter smile. "You can't get me that curious and then try to distract me with kissing."

'_Why not?_' Youko sulked, much more interested in deepening their intimacy than in reliving his own history.

_You wanted to come here today instead of spending all day at home naked in bed_, _so I don_'_t want to hear it from you_, Kurama pointed out while shifting his weight in an attempt to get more comfortable. It might have worked too if not for the way it ground him up against her, making her eyes flutter closed and her lips part on a gasp. _Oh_, _goddammit_.

'_That's just cruel_.' Youko presence strengthened, making their fingers twitch with the need to pull her closer. '_How am I supposed to focus on something else now?_'

"Don't do that." Kagome's legs tightened around him for just a moment before she forced them to relax.

Just like that, Youko's amusement was back. "No?"

"Later." Kagome pinned him with an unbending stare.

Kurama's brows shot up in surprise until a dawning realization had both himself and Youko turning their expression into a heart-melting smile. _Someday our children will quake at that look_. Both his hands lifted to cup her face, and he tipped his head to rest their foreheads together. Kurama could feel her shiver at the subtle showing of his feelings, followed by the fleeting brush of her eyelashes as her eyes closed. Her hands curved over his shoulders and drew lingering caresses down to his elbow, then up to clasp his wrists.

"Where were we?"

Kagome had to swallow hard at the husky question, bracing herself against the urge to tell him to just shut up and keep holding her just like that. Like she was something infinitely precious to him, precious and cherished. "You were saying how picky you are," she reminded him softly.

"Ah, that's right." They brushed the backs of their knuckles along her cheekbones and slid their fingers right back into her hair. "Do you know how long it took me to find the perfect woman? I was almost getting worried, but then I happened to find Shiori-kun."

"What made you pick her?" Kagome couldn't stop the very real curiosity from coming out through her voice.

A nostalgic smile tugged at Kurama's mouth with Youko's memories. "Shiori had been involved with a foreigner who died shortly after she discovered she was pregnant. Being the way I am, it was less suspicious. Everyone would assume I took after 'my father' to look like this."

_Instead of being a fox demon with a rose_-_fetish?_ Kurama taunted.

'_Hush_, _I'm not speaking with you_.' Youko brushed him off. '_Besides_, _I only tweaked a few things_.'

_You lie so much it's a miracle you can even tell when you're telling the truth anymore_.

Youko decided to more actively ignore him, purposefully focusing all his attention on Kagome. "I hadn't considered actually being _born_ again until I decided to hide my soul in her baby. I wasn't exactly looking forward to that part, but I figured I could sleep through it. Not to mention, the baby was all she had after her lover died. I would be the center of her world, and that kind of focus and affection in my condition was… ideal."

_In your condition_, _my ass_. Kurama scoffed. _You _always _want to have that kind of attention_.

Youko had barely started to form his response when Kagome snorted and thunked him on the chest. "Like you don't love all that 'focus and affection' no matter what condition you're in."

There was a beat of silence in their head until Kurama snickered.

Youko tried to look abashed, right up until she arched an eyebrow to show she wasn't buying it. Giving up, he settled on giving her a charming grin and shrugging their shoulders. "I was being selfish. I didn't want to end up sharing the woman I wanted to play my mother."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You're impossible, you know that, right?"

Youko rubbed his cheek across hers, lightly nipping her earlobe. "But you love that about me."

Rather than get into that territory with him, Kagome diverted his attention back to his story. "She's married again, though. If you didn't want to share, couldn't you have influenced that?"

'_Ah… this part is_…' Youko tugged her closer and rested his chin on her shoulder so she wouldn't see him frown. Sighing, he struggled to gather his thoughts and tried to figure out just how to put his thoughts into words. "That's a little harder for me to explain," he admitted.

Surprised at the sudden anxiety she could feel inside him, Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer and nearly staggered under how quickly his youki expanded to twine itself around her body. Threading her fingers through his hair with the same slow, comforting strokes he'd seemed to love earlier, Kagome waited to see if would actually continue.

_Why is this so difficult for you to say_, _Youko?_ Kurama inwardly tilted his head quizzically. _She means a lot to us and we decided she needed to be happy more than we needed to hoard her all to ourselves_.

'_I want to say it _right,' Youko insisted stubbornly. '_I want Kagome to understand_.'

_You're being completely paranoid for no reason_. _Kagome will understand even if you make a muck of it_. Waiting for a response, Kurama finally offered, _Do_ _you want me to tell her this part? _After another long beat of silence, he shifted his focus and picked up where Youko had left off. "There was an accident."

Kagome flinched, closing her eyes at the tangled emotions those four words brought to the surface. Flashes, images… voices echoing in her head and tangling over themselves until the memories were tripping over each other at nearly dizzying speed. Tears stung her eyes, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and calm the souls instinctively rising to defend her before they could get out of hand.

"I was trying to do something I wasn't big enough to do." The familiar sense of guilt and embarrassment rose, but Youko helped him push it aside for now. "It would have been bad, but Shiori saved me. You said it yourself, sometimes youkai forget that humans don't heal the way they do, but she knew. She _knew _that she would take the injury for me, just to protect me from my own mistake. She didn't even hesitate."

The awe and even confusion in his voice was enough to give Kagome a stable hold out of her own memories, and enough to bring a rueful smile to her lips. _Youkai_… _If they were half as smart as they thought they were_, _they'd stop being surprised by what humans are capable of doing_.

"In the end, it was more important for me to see her happy than to have her all to myself." It was getting easier. The more he told her, the more the words seemed to just flow. Of course, that might have had something to do with Kagome's hand making its way down and back up underneath his shirt to caress his back.

'_Can't imagine_.'

Kurama chuckled softly and arched his back when she found a particularly nice spot, relaxing into her touch. "Shiori met a man she wanted to be her husband, and once I was sure he would do everything in his power to make her happy and take care of her, I let her go."

Kagome's hands immediately stopped, and Kurama couldn't help but frown, glad she couldn't hear the way Youko whined his protest in their head. He leaned back, taking in the shocked expression on her face with no small amount of confusion.

"Kagome, honey, are you all right?" Kurama sat up straighter in concern when he noticed just how pale her face had become.

'_What did you do!_'

_I don_'_t know!_

'_Fix it!_'

"You let her go," Kagome repeated, almost disbelieving.

"It was important to her." Kurama nodded, not at all understanding what was making Kagome react so strangely. "He made her smile, and I liked the way their ki felt when they were together. They were-"

The hand in his hair clenched into a fist, and Kurama's eyes went wide when Kagome forcefully pulled his head down. Her mouth slanted across his, sliding her tongue into his mouth so quickly he actually jolted in surprise. Before his brain could catch up, she was consuming him, her lips and tongue moving against his in a way that sent a jolt of heat from his head all the way to his toes.

'_Don't fix it_,' Youko growled dangerously, pushing past Kurama's surprise to crush her up against them and actively take part in the almost desperate kiss.

_I_ _still don_'_t even know what we did_, Kurama protested weakly just before her nails dug hard into his shoulder and made his mind go completely blank. Reluctantly taking one hand off Kagome to press his palm against the grass, both he and Youko blended to quickly, meticulously form an illusion around them that would keep any stray visitors from coming too close. Or hearing the sounds he didn't have any real desire to muffle.

'_Belt_.'

_Mm?_

'Belt,' Youko barked out the command more insistently. Tugging against Kurama's resistance until their hands were sliding down Kagome's arms and encouraging her to let go of him. He gave her hands a squeeze and brought them down to bump her fingers suggestively against his belt buckle. Kurama had a moment of trepidation, thinking that perhaps they were pushing too hard, moving this too fast. But then those beautiful hands were moving without his help. Working the buckle open, she brushed his stomach with her knuckles as she grasped his jeans and slipped the buttons through each hole agonizingly slowly.

_We_'_re really going to do this here? _ Kurama groaned into her mouth, his hands already sliding down the front of her pants.

'_Why do you insist on asking me stupid questions?_' Youko hissed at him impatiently. '_I need to be inside her_. We _need to be inside her_. _You feel it_, _Kurama_, _don't pretend you don_'_t_. _She needs us just as badly too_.'

_But what did we _do? Kurama asked again, but even he admitted to himself that he cared about that just about as much as Youko did.

'_I can live a long_, _happy life surrounded by little golden­_-_eyed babies not caring_.'

_Youko_-

'_This is me doing just that_,' Youko cut him off firmly, rumbling his approval when Kurama finally got her pants open enough to get her out of them. '_Now stop whining and focus on what_'_s most important_. _Those are coming off_.'

_And then­_- Kurama drawled out, just to irritate the highly distracted kitsune.

Youko adamantly refused to rise to the bait, answering instead with dark intensity. '_And then we make her ours_.'


End file.
